The Stage We're Going Through

One-Act Plays are on the Way!

2011-12-22T09:37:00.001-05:00

Rehearsals are underway.

Five fast and funny plays make up Firestone Theatre’s annual One-Act Play Festival. This fun event is to be held in the Linda B. Kersker Auditorium at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, January 12, 2012. All tickets cost $5.00 and will be available only at the door on the night of the show.

The festival is comprised of five short comedies including Bride and Gloom by Rich Orloff, Dreaming of Sugar Plums and Maintanence Men by Jen Letherer, From the River by Jessica Reese and The Omolet Murder Case by Tim Kelley, and On the Porch One Crisp Spring Morning by Alex Dremann.

Bride and Gloom is directed by FHS junior Zoe Sapienza and features a cast comprised of junior Greg Hill ad freshman Morgan Csejtey. Bride and Gloom is a play about a nervous bride whose fear of divorce prevents her from getting married.

Dreaming of Sugar Plums and Maintenance Men is directed by Ray Brown and features a cast comprised of senior Marissa Wilson, juniors Deandre Hairston and Erika Johnson; and freshmen Olivia Doria, Tyler Gillespie, and Nalani Rodgers. In Dreaming of Sugar Plums and Maintenance Men, a group of mixed nuts are on the way home for the holidays when a technical glitch traps them in a broken down dorm elevator.

From the River is directed by FHS sophomore Shea Lee and features a cast comprised of junior Aaron Eckhardt and sophomore Lani Skelley. From the River is features the story of two newly graduated students who come to find they are in love but cannot experience it.

The Omelet Murder Case is directed by FHS graduate Jeremy Clarke and features a cast comprised of juniors Emily Carlier and Katie Johanni; sophomores Sam Puglia and Rikayla Wright; and freshman Lee Carr, Zal Daneshgari, Kate Piscetta, and Sataira Williams. The Omolet Murder Case re-imagines Shakespeare’s Hamlet as a modern murder mystery.

On the Porch One Crisp Spring Morning is directed by Elynmarie Kazle and features sophomore Francine Parr and freshman Kyla Davis. In On the Porch One Crisp Spring Morning a mother and daughter sip coffee on the porch one gloriously crisp spring morning . . . and then try to kill each other

SHOWvember Continues with Two More Performances

2011-11-17T10:40:00.004-05:00

Mark your calendar for the following Firestone Theatre performances:

Improv Troupe Performance: Tuesday, November 22, 2011, 7:00 p.m.

The debut performance of our (as yet) unnamed Improvisation Troupe. This group of eight talented students has been working with a professional, Akron-area actor/artist, Eric Lualdi, to hone their improvisational skills. This short performance is sure to tickle your funny bone.

Winter Play, Black Girl by JE Franklin: December 1, 2, and 3, 2011, 7:30 p.m..

Trapped in a life that can lead nowhere, Billie Jean has dropped out of school and taken a dead-end job in the local bar. Her ambitions bring her into conflict with her envious sisters, both of whom have been locked into dreary marriages too early, and her mother, who has given up on her own children and now lavishes her care and affection on her "foster daughters.” Billie Jean must fight a multiplicity of prejudices to win an education and forge her own identity.

One-Act Play Festival: Thursday, January 12, 2012, 7:30 p.m.

The always popular one-act festival features five short plays under the direction of staff, students and guest artists. It is an affair not to be missed by any lover of theatre or pure entertainment.

Legally Blonde: February 29 – March 3, 2012 (Previously announced as How to Succeed in Business)

Sorority star Elle Woods doesn't take "no" for an answer. So when her boyfriend dumps her for someone "serious," Elle puts down the credit card, hits the books, and sets out to go where no Delta Nu has gone before: Harvard Law. Along the way, Elle proves that being true to yourself never goes out of style.

Complete details can be found on our website at www.FirestoneTheatre.com

The Show Must Go On ! . . . in just ONE day!!!

2011-11-07T11:01:00.000-05:00

The show must go on . . . and we only have one day!

Firestone High School will present the culmination of their 24-Hour Theatre Project at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, November 12, 2011 in the school’s Linda B. Kersker Auditorium. All tickets are general admission and cost just $5.00. Tickets will be available at the door starting at 7:00 p.m. No advanced tickets will be available. Firestone High School is located at 333 Rampart Avenue, Akron.

The 24-Hour Theatre Project is a creative concept in which students undertake the entire theatrical creative expression in a single 24-hour period. Students will meet at 7:00 p.m. on Friday and begin the process by casting plays that have not yet been written. When the actors return early the next day, the plays will have been written by student writers and will ready to rehearse. The morning and afternoon are spent staging, memorizing, rehearsing, and preparing all the technical elements.

The 24-Hour Theatre Project is part of Firestone Theatre’s “SHOWvember” in which four student productions are presented within 4 weeks. The 24-Hour Theatre Project is included in the subscription series so patrons holding a season ticket will be admitted at no additional charge. Subscriptions are still available at an affordable price for students and adults. See details about the Firestone Theatre season online at www.FirestoneTheatre.com.

Don't Miss Our Show -- Three Performances this Week!

2011-10-12T18:03:00.000-04:00

Elephant’s Graveyard by George Brant; October 13, 14, and 15, 2011, 7:30 p.m.

Elephant’s Graveyard is the true tale of the tragic collision of a struggling circus and a tiny town in Tennessee, which resulted in the only known lynching of an elephant. Set in September of 1916, the play combines historical fact and legend, exploring the deep-seated American craving for spectacle, violence and revenge.

“The script—based on a true story about a traveling circus that, in 1916, stumbled into gory disaster in a muddy Tennessee town—is, like the best art, microscopically specific with echoes that radiate outward across time. It conjures a world with its own atmosphere and terrible internal logic. It’s mesmerizing... symphonic in its emotional variations on a tragic theme. Elephant’s Graveyard buzzes with truth about the consequences of misunderstanding, the invisible but enormous gap between artists and their audiences, and the infernal beauty of vaudeville.” -The Stranger, Seattle

See full details about our season at www.FirestoneTheatre.com.

Subscribe to our 2011-2012 Season of Champions

2011-10-11T21:22:00.000-04:00

Our new season is about to begin and you can subscribe to the whole thing. Adults can subscribe for as little as $28.00 and students can do the same for just $20.00. Eight fantastic theatre events await you for a super-low price. There is no better way to support free, public theatre education than by subscribing to our season. Visit www.FirestoneTheatre.com for details.

Here is our season:

Elephant’s Graveyard by George Brant

October 13, 14, and 15, 2011, 7:30 p.m.

24-Hour Theatre Project

November 12, 2011, 7:30 p.m.

(First) One Night of Improv

November 22, 2011, 7:00 p.m.

Black Girl by J.E. Franklin

December 1, 2, and 3, 2011, 7:30 p.m.

Legally Blonde The Musical

Music and lyrics by Laurence O’Keefe and Nell Benjamin, Book by Heather Latch

Based on the movie Legally Blonde

February 29, 2012, 7:00 p.m.

March 1 and 2, 2011, 7:30 p.m.

March 3, 2012, 2:30 and 7:30 p.m.

Spring Dance Concert

March 23 and 24, 2012, 7:30 p.m.

Akron HS Film Festival

April 26, 2012, 7:30 p.m.

Great Cast Leads a Great Play

2011-10-10T07:42:00.002-04:00

Here are the bios for this week's production of ELEPHANT'S GRAVEYARD by George Brant. Make plans to see our production at 7:30 p.m. on October 13, 14, and 15, 2011.

Emily Carlier (Ballet Girl) is a junior member of the VPA Dance program. She is vice president of Student Council and is a member of National Honor Society for Dance Arts. Emily is excited to appear in her first fall play. She thanks her family and friends for their support.

Aaron Eckhardt (Preacher) is a junior VPA Theatre student. He has previously appeared in FHS productions of Sweeney Todd, 1001 Afternoons in Chicago, and Dear Gabby. Aaron hopes to one day become a professional actor.

Morgan Csejtey (stage manager) is a freshman VPA Theatre student working on her first FHS as a high school student. She was previously involved with our summer production of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee as an 8th grader.

Zal Daneshgari (Railroad Engineer) is a freshman VPA Theatre student appearing in his first FHS production. He likes to play basketball, watch movies, and hang out with his friends. Zal is a graduate of Spring Garden Waldorf School.

Jacquie Hailstock (Marshal) is a senior VPA Theatre student appearing in her fifth FHS production. She is also a member of DECA and is captain of the FHS Step Team. Jacquie served as an assistant stage manager for the FHS production of Hairspray.

Greg Hill (Hungry Townsperson) is a junior VPA Theatre student appearing in his 5th FHS production. He has previously appeared in The Piano Lesson, 1001 Afternoons in Chicago, Dear Gabby, and the One-Act Play Festival.

Jordan Bryce James (Steamshovel Operator) is a sophomore VPA Theatre student appearing in his second main stage production. He appeared in our production of Hairspray and recently competed in an Individual Theatre event at the International Thespian Festival.

Erika Johnson (Muddy Townsperson) is a junior VPA Theatre student appearing in her third FHS production. She has appeared with the Ohio Shakespeare Festival for three seasons and has appeared onstage and off at Weathervane Playhouse.

Brandon Kline (Clown) is a sophomore VPA Theatre student appearing in his second FHS production. He has appeared onstage all over Northeast Ohio including Weathervane Playhouse, Carousel, and Miller South School. Brandon has been a dancer for 14 years.

Shea Lee (Trainer) is a sophomore VPA Theatre and IB student appearing in her fourth FHS production. She has appeared at numerous area theatres including Weathervane Playhouse and Fairmount Performing Arts Conservatory (FPAC).

Josh Leslie (percussion) is an eighth grade student at Miller South School for the Visual and Performing Arts. He enjoys playing percussion and has done so for three years. Josh is a welcome addition to our production.

Samantha Lewis (assistant stage manager) is a sophomore VPA Theatre student working backstage on her second FHS production. She is a member of Firestone’s softball team. Samantha thanks her parents for their support.

Josh Mansfield (Strongman) is a junior VPA Theatre student appearing in his second FHS production. He is a graduate of Miller South’s drama program and has also appeared onstage and off at Weathervane Playhouse, among other theatres.

Imokhai Okolo (student sound designer) is a junior serving on the sound crew for the first time. He is a member of DECA and Student Council as well as the Debate and Mock Trial Team. Imokhai has worked tech for many FHS productions.

Zoe Sapienza (Young Townsperson) is a junior VPA Theatre student appearing onstage in her fourth FHS main stage production. She has appeared onstage at Weathervane Playhouse and other theatres in the area.

Stanley Smith (guitarist) is a junior appearing in his first FHS theatre production. He is a member of Men’s Chorus and sings back-up vocals for a band called Monza. Stanley has played guitar for three years and made an appearance in last year’s school talent show.

Ben Wilson (Ringmaster) is a junior VPA Technical Theatre student appearing in his second main stage production. He appeared in last year’s production of Henry V and has worked backstage on many others. Ben is also a member of the Engineering program.

Max Winer (Tour Manager) is a junior VPA Theatre student appearing in his seventh FHS production. He is also a member of Firestone’s Tennis Team. Ben has appeared onstage at Weathervane Playhouse and works at the Physical Therapy Center.

Second Stage Performances Expanded in 2011-2012 Theatre Season

2011-09-25T21:07:00.001-04:00

This year's second stage season has been expanded and included in the subscription series. For instance, the 24-Hour Theatre Project is an exciting, new event that is a highlight of the fall for many students in Firestone’s successful arts program. It is joined by the first annual Akron High School Film Festival and the formation of an all-new improvisation troupe comprised of students in Firestone’s nationally recognized theatre program. These performances along with the always popular One-Act Play Festival make up the Second State theatre season.

The 24-Hour Theatre Project will be held at the school at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, November 12, 2011. This single performance will culminate a whirlwind or activity that includes the creation and writing of five one-act plays as well as their staging and rehearsal in a single 24-hour period of time. One Night of Improv will be held at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, November 22, 2011. This event features our newly formed improvisation troupe under the direction of Cleveland actor/director Marc Moritz. A second performance of the improvisational troupe will be scheduled in the spring. The always popular One-Act Play Festival will be held at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, January 12, 2012. The first annual Akron High School Film Festival will be held at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 26, 2012. This event will feature short films created by students from a variety of Akron schools. Submissions for this event are due no later than February 10, 2012. Complete rules and submission forms are available for download at www.FirestoneTheatre.com.

General admission tickets for each of these events cost $5.00 and will available only at the door. Each show is included in the season subscription.

Firestone Theatre is dedicated to keeping ticket prices low and affordable to the widest range of patrons. An additional savings is available through a season subscription that is available for the entire season at a largely reduced rate. An adult subscription is $28.00 and represents a savings of over 40 percent. A VIP, reserved subscription is also available for $32.00. A student subscription is available for just $20.00 and represents a savings of over 60 percent off the regular ticket price. A subscription order form is available for download at www.FirestoneTheatre.com.

The Table is Set with Delicious Theatrical Dishes

2011-09-23T06:44:00.000-04:00

MAIN STAGE SEASON

Firestone Theatre is set to undertake its biggest theatre season yet. The several new projects are featured in the 2011-2012 theatre season that also includes three Main Stage productions in addition to a series of smaller performances in a Second Stage series. An affordable subscription is available at an adult and student price.

The Main Stage season kicks off with the fall play, Elephant’s Graveyard by George Brant. This powerful production will be presented on stage in Firestone High School’s Linda B. Kersker Auditorium at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, October 13; Friday, October 14; and Saturday, October 15, 2011. This short play is the true tale of the tragic collision of a struggling circus and a tiny Tennessee town. The series continues with Black Girl by J.E. Franklin. This play about a young woman trapped in a life that leads nowhere will be presented at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, December 1; Friday, December 2; and Saturday, December 3, 2011. The General admission tickets for both plays are $5.00 if bought in advance and $7.00 at the door. VIP, reserved tickets are also available for $9.00 and include a reserved seat in the front of the auditorium as well as access to the special VIP room prior to the show and at intermission, if applicable.

Also included in the Main Stage season is the annual musical and the Spring Dance Concert. How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying with a book by Abe Burrows, Jack Weinstock and Willie Gilbert as well as music and lyrics by Frank Loesser will be presented at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday, February 29; at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 1; at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, March 2; and at 2:30 and 7:30 p.m. on Saturday March 3, 2012. This popular musical follows the rise of a young executive who uses the titular handbook to climb the corporate ladder. The General admission for the musical is $8.00 if bought in advance and $10.00 at the door. VIP, reserved tickets are also available for $13.00 and include a reserved seat in the front of the auditorium as well as access to the special VIP room prior to the show and at intermission, if applicable.

The Main Stage season concludes with the annual Spring Dance Concert. This event will be held at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, March 23 and Saturday, March 24, 2011. The concert is an annual event that features Firestone’s dancers in a program of original choreography by students, faculty, and guest artists.

Are You reaady to Rock?

2011-04-08T11:12:00.000-04:00

Firestone High School continues to rock hard with the latest edition of Stone Stock: The Firestone High School Rock and Roll Festival. This fantastic event featuring the popular local band Maid Myriad will be held at Musica from 7:00 to 10:00 p.m. on Sunday, April 17, 2011.

All tickets are general admission and cost $7.00 in advance and $10.00 at the door. Tickets are available at Square Records in Highland Square and also in the school commons from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. daily starting Monday, April 11, 2011. Call the Firestone Theatre office at 330-873-3408 for additional information

The exciting line-up of bands includes two local bands as well as four bands comprised of mostly current Firestone students. The event is headlined by Maid Myriad who rocked the house at last year’s event and graciously agreed to play again this year. Other bands include local duo Polymerization as well as student bands The Granite Union, Terraplane, The Electric Gentlemen, and Extra Spooky.

This now annual event is designed to put student bands onstage with more established acts and to raise money for the arts programs at the school.

All proceeds from the event benefit the Friends of Firestone VPA, a non-profit 501(c)3 organization created to provide financial support to all arts at Firestone High School. This organization was founded in 2007 and has already provided funds for guest artists and master classes in addition to over $5000.00 in college scholarships to students who continue their arts education in college. Firestone is the high school campus for visual and performing arts in the Akron Public Schools.

Students from all over the city and throughout the area come to Firestone High School to undertake a rigorous course of study in choral music, dance, instrumental music, theatre, or visual art. Call the Fine Arts Office at 330-761-3189 for information about enrolling in Firestone High School’s exciting arts program.

2011-02-24T07:15:00.000-05:00

Join Firestone Theatre for a lovely dinner before or after a show on Saturday, March 5, 2011.

Between the matinee and the evening performance of HAIRSPRAY, Firestone’s Stage Parents are hosting a fundraising Spaghetti Dinner. The price is right and the food is good so make plans now to sit in our beautifully transformed cafeteria and enjoy a delicious, hand-crafted spaghetti dinner.

A single meal can be purchased for just $7.00 and includes salads, assorted breads, assorted sauces, beverage, and fruit. A couple can eat for just $12.00. A family of four can eat for just $22.00. Download an order form from our website so you can reserve your seat.

Only 100 meals will be served for this event so reserve yours now.

maz

Great kids make our HAIRSPRAY fantastic

2011-02-22T20:33:00.000-05:00

We have a great cast for our upcoming production of HAIRSPRAY. I know they won't let a snow day or two get in the way of a fantastic production. Below is the list of talented kids working on our show. My apologies to anyone left out.

Download your ticket order form at www.FirestoneTheatre.com.

The cast of Hairspray is led by seniors Jeremy Clarke (Link Larkin), Shamara Costa (Motormouth Maybelle), Tessa DiTirro (Velma von Tussle), Krissa Duhon (Amber von Tussle), Ally Freel (Tracy Turnblad), Hayley Hineline (Prudy Pingleton), and Denzel Washington (Seaweed).

Other seniors in the cast include Kaitlinn Brewer, Eamon Dougherty, Paul Gegick, Miryam Johnson, and Christopher Sharkey.

Junior students appearing in Hairspray include Jon Bozeka (Edna Turnblad), Conor Downey (Wilbur Turnblad), Tiffany Fulks (Shelley), Matt Harp (Brad), Gabey Hicks (Dynamite), Bronte Jeffries (ensemble), Olivia Landry (Little Inez), Suzanne Magazzini (Luann), Eric McDonnell (Sketch), Geonah Miller (ensemble) David Petry (Mr. Pinky), Hannah Pryseski (Penny Pingleton), Madison Williams (Dynamite), and Evan Yetter (Corny Collins).

Sophomore students appearing in Hairspray include Emily Carlier (Tammy), DeAndre Hairston (Gilbert), Jacob Jones (Duane), Jada Langston (Dynomite), Moe McHargh (Cindy Watkins), Jalen Mitchell (Stooie), Maddie Piscetta (ensemble), Zoe Sapienza (ensemble), Kylie Thanasiu (ensemble), Elizabeth Wainwright (ensemble), and Max Winer (IQ).

Freshmen students appearing in Hairspray include Sarah Hineline (ensemble), Jordan James (Thad), Bichelle Jeffries (ensemble), Brandon Kline (Fender), Shea Lee (matron), Francine Parr (ensemble), D’Angelo Sanders (ensemble), and Leah Struhsaker (Brenda).

Members of the orchestra include the following students: Caitlin Ballinger (trumpet), Bryan Bates (trumpet), Cameron Bickley (percussion), Will Blake (keyboards), Ashton Blake (saxophone), Tre’onna Boone (violin), Jack Brady (drums), Josh Brewer (percussion), Christopher Collins, Jessie Cook (flute), Josh Cox (keyboards), Tyra Dickerson (clarinet), Oliver Evans (guitar), Emily Fagen (saxophone), Tyler Hawes (guitar), Stephanie Hopper (trumpet), Hannah Laubscher (saxophone), Katie Lawrence (violin), Ellen Mitchell (clarinet), Olivia Moss, (flute) Zach Nagi-Schehl (electric bass), Devin Simmons (saxophone), and Rachel Weibel (trombone).

maz

HAIRSPRAY Tickets on Sale

2011-02-07T10:20:00.000-05:00

No one can stop the beat when the Sixties-themed musical Hairspray takes the Firestone stage in March.

This popular show was recently made available for amateur and school performances and Firestone Theatre is among the first to present it starting at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday, March 2, 2011. Additional performances of Hairspray will be held at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 3, Friday, March 4, and Saturday, March 5, 2011. A single matinee will be held at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 5, 2011.

General admission tickets for all performances cost $8.00 in advance and $10.00 at the door. Premium, reserved seats are available for Hairspray at a cost of $13.00. Advanced tickets for Hairspray can be purchased by mail.

A ticket order form can be downloaded at www.FirestoneTheatre.com. Advanced tickets can also be purchased in the school commons from app. 11:00 a.m. to app. 1:00 p.m. on school days starting no later than Monday, February 21, 2011.

All seats for the Wednesday evening performance cost $8.00 and are available in advance and at the door.

Call the Firestone Theatre office at 330.873.3408 for ticket information.

The Show Must Go On . . . Personal Illness does not stop the SCHOOLHOUSE ROCK express

2011-02-03T06:31:00.000-05:00

The third performance for Schoolhouse Rock! Live, Jr. went very well, considering our circumstances.

When you have only five cast members, every role is vitally important. One of our actors was sick on Tuesday, the day of the show. The actor came anyway, of course, and did the best they could. The rest of us helped them cover their songs and get through the show.

It was difficult – we all had to be on our toes – but this cast has a real team spirit. We may deal with other actors not at their peak for future performances. We will need to rally together the same way we did on Tuesday, to help them pull through.

We pulled through this time, and the resulting performance was quite good.

We made hardly any mistakes of any kind. The teachers were appreciative; the children were thrilled. As Schoolhouse Rock! Live progresses through its run, we continue to improve with each performance, and audiences are becoming more and more responsive.

We enjoy watching them as much as they enjoy watching us.

shea lee

You Can't Stop the Beat -- HAIRSPRAY rehearsal progresses nicely

2011-01-23T17:17:00.000-05:00

HAIRSPRAY rehearsal is pretty crazy.

Having blocking, vocal rehersal, and dance all in one rehersal makes it sure that you have a good night sleep. Going over the music for HAIRSPRAY is pretty difficult at times. The piano is playing one tune and you're singing another, then backround singers come in and it's crazy. Though when it all comes together it sounds awesome!

I love blocking. Standing on stage trying to figure out your character voice and how your character moves and acts is a lot of fun. I really enjoy working with Denzel, he is easy to get a long with and is always a happy soul at rehearsal.

The dancing. My goodness the dancing. I'm not the best at it but so far I seem to be catching on fast. When the cast dances together with all their energy and just has fun with it, it's a blast. I really enjoy the cast of this show. Everyone works hard, cheers each other on and just goes crazy with it.

So far I have to say the enjoyment of working with the cast as a whole and blocking my scenes with denzel have got to be my favorite.

ally freel

SCHOOLHOUSE rocks on Despite a Few Stumbles

2011-01-22T09:59:00.003-05:00

Schoolhouse Rock! Live, Jr. had its second performance this past week, for Case Elementary School.

Over the previous long weekend, we held a few brush-up rehearsals. This prepared us for the shows much better than independent morning rehearsals had just before the first show.

We did have some unexpected surprises on Tuesday, the day of our show. About thirty seconds into the performance, our music didn’t turn on. We improvised for a few minutes while Imokhai and LaSosha tried to fix the problem, but eventually we just plunged into the first number a cappella. We sang our first two songs without our accompaniment, until Imokhai found a second boom box to play our CD.

Other than those few glitches, our performance went very well. We knew the lines and songs much better than we had before. The students waved to us from the audience, called out spontaneously, and one or two danced along. This is the biggest joy of performing for such young audiences – they are so open and enthusiastic.

We look forward to that enthusiasm at our third performance next week.

shea lee

She does not have the Answers but She asks the Right Questions.

2011-01-14T09:22:00.002-05:00

Firestone Theatre is set to present Dear Gabby: The Confessions of an Over-Achiever at the Akron Civic Theatre. You should make plans now to see this single public performance of a fantastic play.

Dear Gabby: The Confessions of an Over-Achiever tells the story of a teen-aged girl who confronts a series of important life-lessons as she writes the advice column for her school’s paper. This powerfully funny and poignant play will be presented at the Civic Theatre in Downtown Akron for a single performance on Wednesday, February 2, 2011.

Tickets are $10.00 for adults and $5.00 for all students and are available by calling the Civic box office at 330.253.2488 or online at www.akroncivic.com. Seating is limited so patrons are encouraged to buy their tickets in advance.

Dear Gabby: The Confessions of an Over-Achiever is by Chris DeCarlo and Evelyn Rudie, who serve as co-Artistic Directors of the Santa Monica Playhouse in California. They describe their play as an interactive theatre experience, which explores such teen concerns as first love, peer pressure, rejection, relationships, drugs, cheating, self-esteem, and the passion and pain of piano lessons.

Dear Gabby is under the direction of guest artist Elynmarie Kazle who has already directed the play three times at Firestone High School. She worked at the Santa Monica Playhouse at the time of Dear Gabby’s original performances and tours. Firestone Theatre has presented the play six times over ten years to a wide variety of audiences. One production toured to the Dayton, Ohio, area as well as returned home to the Santa Monica Playhouse for two fund-raising performances. Kazle has served as the school’s Stage Management Trainer and Mentor for 10 years and recently worked with the Cleveland Playhouse.

The cast of Dear Gabby: The Confessions of an Over-Achiever is lead by seniors Hayley Hineline and Caeli Droge. They are supported by sophomores Amelia Britton, Aaron Eckhardt, Deandre Hairston, Sierrah Jesiolowski, Jada Langston, Moe McHargh; and freshman Lani Skelley. SophomoreWill Banno Rothman serves as the stage manager. Junior Marissa Wilson serves as the student director.

Call the Firestone HS theatre office at 330-873-3408 for additional information.

maz

DEAR GABBY set to Play the Big House

2010-12-15T17:51:00.000-05:00

She may not know all the right answers but she does ask all the right questions. Dear Gabby: The Confessions of an Over-Achiever tells the story of a teenaged girl who confronts a series of life-lessons as she writes the advice column for her school’s paper. The funny and poignant play will be presented at the Civic Theatre in Downtown Akron for a single performance on Wednesday, February 2, 2011. Tickets are $10.00 for adults and $5.00 for students and are available by calling the Civic box office at 330.253.2488 or online at www.akroncivic.com. Seating is limited so patrons are encouraged to buy their tickets in advance.

Dear Gabby: The Confessions of an Over-Achiever is by Chris DeCarlo and Evelyn Rudie, who serve as co-Artistic Directors of the Santa Monica Playhouse in California. They describe their play as an interactive theatre experience, which explores such teen concerns as first love, peer pressure, rejection, relationships, drugs, cheating, self-esteem, and the passion and pain of piano lessons.

Dear Gabby is under the direction of guest artist Elynmarie Kazle who has already directed the play three times at Firestone High School. She worked at the Santa Monica Playhouse at the time of Dear Gabby’s original performances and tours. Firestone Theatre has presented the play six times over ten years to a wide variety of audiences. One production toured to the Dayton, Ohio, area as well as returned home to the Santa Monica Playhouse for two fund-raising performances. Kazle has served as the school’s Stage Management Trainer and Mentor for 10 years and recently worked at the Cleveland Playhouse.

The cast of Dear Gabby: The Confessions of an Over-Achiever is lead by seniors Hayley Hineline and Caeli Droge. They are supported by sophomores Amelia Britton, Aaron Eckhardt, Deandre Hairston, Sierrah Jesiolowski, Jada Langston; and freshman Lani Skelley. SophomoreWill Banno Rothman serves as the stage manager. Junior Marissa Wilson serves as the student director.

Call the theatre office at Firestone High School at 330-873-3408 for additional information.

DEAR GABBY takes us all on the Journey of our Lifetime.

2010-12-15T06:19:00.001-05:00

FROM AMELIA WHO PLAYS THE TITLE ROLE IN OUR UPCOMING PRODUCTION OF DEAR GABBY.

The DEAR GABBY journey started a few months ago, but it’s definitely taken off from there.

For me, it actually started last year, when I was on makeup crew for the 2009 production. When I saw it in tech rehearsal for the first time, I was genuinely affected. To me, the greatest thing about the show is that it’s so universal. I think that every student can relate to the show somehow—we’ve all (to differing extents) been that uncertain, unpopular kid. Or we’ve seen our friends cheating on a test, or we’ve watched someone we love become someone we hardly recognize anymore.

As I watched the show for the first time, I found myself identifying with one character after another. While I didn’t necessarily condone the way they each dealt with their problems, I did understand where they were coming from. I knew how it felt to be in their situation, and I empathized with the characters.

None of us has ever done this before—we aren’t exactly sure what’s the “right way” to grow up. That’s one of the central themes of Gabby. As each of us gets a little deeper into our character, we’re also getting a little deeper into ourselves, and that’s a scary idea.

DEAR GABBY: THE CONFESSIONS OF AN OVER-ACHIEVER makes one public performance at the Akron Civic Theatre on Wednesday, February 2, 2011

amelia

Tomorrow is Another Day

2010-12-14T08:54:00.000-05:00

In keeping with a the original intent of this blog, a handful of students have been recruited to contribute their thoughts to the theatrical process in the coming months. Today we share the first of these contributions. Enjoy.

maz

FROM SHAMARA:

I am far too excited for Hairspray, so much that I hoped that today we would NOT have a snow day (despite the inevitable blizzard) so that I could see the cast list. This cast list has been the topic of conversation and unadulterated anticipation ever since it was first revealed that Firestone would be putting on the fabulous musical. And... Of course... We had a snow day today. So who knows how long we'll eagerly await now... Hopefully tomorrow will be the day!

One More Snow Day Creates Angst for those Awaiting Cast Notice

2010-12-14T08:51:00.000-05:00

Today is a second consecutive snow day in Akron. We auditioned HAIRSPRAY last week concluding with a movement audition on Friday. The cast list was announced to be posted at school on Monday. We will not have school until at least Wednesday. The wait is making some of us a little jumpy.

There is now an online drive to post the cast list on Facebook or on the website so that students can relieve the pressure of not knowing. I have so far resisted this urge as it is important that each cast member "sign" to accept their role. I also prefer to have the list not forwarded around the internet in a way that cannot be controlled. We will just have to wait until tomorrow.

In keeping with a the original intent of this blog, a handful of students have been recruited to contribute their thoughts to the theatrical process in the coming months. Today we share the first of these contributions. Enjoy:

maz

FROM ALLY:

My audition experience for Hairspray was quite exciting!

It can give you the nerves a bit having to walk in large room with two people at a table to audition you. This was for the vocal audition. For me personally the vocal/acting audition was exciting! When I saw that I had a call back I was thrilled, until I realized it was a dance call back. To me thats one of my weakest points, so I was extremely nervous. Although when came time to perform my audition I was very confident and danced with a smile. No matter how many times I messed up, I did my best to keep going. I did my best to show that I am able to dance and will be willing to try anything you throw at me.

To me in an audition I try to walk with confidence, no matter how nervous I am on the inside. I try to keep a smile on my face even though I mess. Just keep going. Show you can work around it. Improvise. Also its nice to cheer your friends along and give them reassurance that they did awsome. Its nice to get the same treatment back soo. In all I believe my Hairspray audition went amazing!

The experience was enjoyable, although the waiting is ugh. Though when the cast list comes up no matter what your role is or if your even in the show at all, you always need to know you did your best!

Snow Day Makes for Waiting Game

2010-12-13T11:25:00.000-05:00

School was cancelled today for Akron's students, creating another day of anticipation for the many students who auditioned for our upcoming production of HAIRSPRAY.

The audtions were held last week with individual appointments held Monday and Tuesday. Each student sang a song for us and read a brief scene from CURTAINS. We read this scene because we had a book for this show but not for HAIRSPRAY as they had not yet arrived.

On Friday, about 40 students worked with the choreographer on a number of combinations to the song "The Nicest Kids in Town." It was pretty hard word but everyone seemed to have fun.

I sent them home with the knowlege that we would be posting a cast list on Monday . . . except we don't have school. There is probably plenty of nail-biting going on aound west Akron as all of these students are eager to learn of the cast.

It is probably in my best interest to have it on the wall first thing tomorrow morning. But before then, I have got some deciding to do.

maz

American Theatre Wing - Working in the Theatre - Production: Dirty Rotten Scoundrels - April, 2005

2010-11-28T12:54:00.000-05:00

American Theatre Wing - Working in the Theatre - Production: Dirty Rotten Scoundrels - April, 2005

From the Ohio PTA

2010-11-05T14:25:00.000-04:00

ADVOCACY ALERT FROM OHIO PTA
URGE YOUR REPRESENTATIVES TO PASS THE CHILD NUTRITION BILL

The House of Representatives Must Act to Ensure Historic Improvements Are Not Lost

National PTA needs your help to encourage the House of Representatives to vote on S. 3307, the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act, when they return from the November elections. PTA members should reach out to their representatives to urge swift action on this bill in order to enact its many improvements to child nutrition programs into law.

The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act increases access to vital anti-hunger measures, improves the nutrition quality of foods served in schools, and provides the supports necessary for school food service workers to meet the needs of American children. The $4.5 billion increase in child nutrition funding over the next ten years provided under the bill is a substantial investment at a time when both child hunger and obesity are at alarming levels. The bill includes common-sense measures to help ensure that both of these trends can be reversed, including supports for the direct certification process, updated nutrition standards for all foods served in schools, increased access to local produce and school gardens, and enhanced notification and engagement of parents and the surrounding community in matters that affect the well-being of students.

It is essential that our nation’s students are provided healthy, nutritious options in school in order for them to reach their physical and academic potential. We need your help to influence Congress and make sure this legislation becomes the priority it must be.

Take Action Today! Contact your Representatives today and let them know that the health of our children cannot wait another year.

Please visit http://capwiz.com/npta2/home

Once More into the Breach, My Friends!

2010-11-01T13:33:00.000-04:00

History comes to thrilling life in the upcoming Firestone Theatre production of Shakespeare’s Henry V. This classic play will take our stage on four occasions starting with a preview performance at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday, November 17, 2010. Additional performances will be held at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, November 18; Friday, November 18; and Saturday, October 19, 2010. Admission to the play is $5.00 if purchased in advance and $7.00 at the door on the night of performance. All tickets for the preview performance are $5.00. Advanced tickets are available during all school days from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. in the school’s commons starting Monday, November 15, 2010.

William Shakespeare’s fantastic play tells the story of a young and brash King Henry V of England who takes his nation to war with France. As he leads his troops into combat and experiences the true costs of war firsthand, Henry discovers that the challenges of leadership are greater than he ever imagined. From Henry’s rousing battle speeches to his quieter moments courting the Princess of France, Shakespeare explores what makes a man a king . . . and a king a man.

What's Your Line?

2010-10-17T14:16:00.001-04:00

Firestone Theatre has a significant online presence. There are three online sites intended for consumption by the general public. You should check them out.

The first and perhaps most important is our newly designed official website. This site can be found at http://www.firestonetheatre.com/ and is intended to be a portal for all things related to theatre education at Firestone High School. There are pages on this site dedicated to our production season and our Thespian Troupe, as well as others. One page is designed specifically for prospective students. The download and link page contains links to many theatre-related sites as well as downloads students might need for class, productions, and Thespian activities.

If you are reading this, you are already aware of the second and possibly third online presence: our blog and our Facebook fan page.

This blog, called THE STAGE WE'RE GOING THROUGH, is a place for us to discuss our activities at greater length and frequency than we can through other outlets. We expect the blog mostly to be read by members of the community interested in learning more about the theatre education available at Firestone High School. We will of course post information about our many productions but also updates from our Thespian activities and extensions of classroom learning. Most blog posts will be written by me but I am hopeful that a few will be written by students who are involved in the activity being discussed. If you scroll down far enough, you will encounter a few posts by students in years past. I hope to get a few students to write a post or two as we continue our work on HENRY V, DEAR GABBY, and SCHOOLHOUSE ROCK -- all of which are currently in rehearsal. This blog is posted automatically as a note on the Firestone Theatre Facebook page.

The Facebook page can be found by searching for Firestone Theatre in the Facebook search engine. This popular page is for patrons and members of the community who want to be kept up-to-date on Firestone Theatre production activities. This page includes information on all of our public performances in addition to our other activities such as the season subscription campaign and the annual spaghetti dinner. Production photos as well as shots from rehearsal and set construction are sometimes posted there. Status updates help to keep fans aware of the day-to-day activities of Firestone Theatre and the Thespian troupe. This blog is automatically posted as a note on the Firestone Theatre Facebook page.

If you are a fan of Firestone Theatre, I invite you to visit these online sites regularly.

maz

The StARS come out at night . . . and other times, as well.

2010-10-16T12:57:00.000-04:00

A group of theatre students will gather today to start making plans for the 2010 NE Ohio Thespian Conference. This group will include a handful of Firestone Thespians in addition to students from other schools from around NE Ohio.

This group is called StARS, or Student Area Representatives. They help to plan the area conference that is to be held at Riverside High School in Painesville on Saturday, December 4, 2010. These students will establish the conference's theme and build activities around it. StARS make suggestions to the adult leadership and help to shape the conference in general.

There are no dues to join StARS. There is no initiation. There is no interview or other prerequisites.

All a student needs to become a StAR is the desire to participate in this fun and meaningful Thespian activity. I am gratified that some of our Firestone Thespian students are willing to participate and have taken the first steps toward serving as a leader in our area.

I understand that every StAR who attends each of the three meetings will be refunded their area conference registration. That's a nice perk for a student's time. Even without it, volunteering as a StAR is totally worth the effort.

maz

Walking into the Woods

2010-10-14T22:12:00.000-04:00

Earlier today I met briefly with the newly hired education director of the Cleveland Play House as well as several others to discuss an upcoming project.

Firestone Theatre has been invited by the Play House to participate in a newly funded program called Full Contact and I think it will be very exciting. This program is funded by the NEA and is intended to help make connections between the Playhouse and high schools in Northeast Ohio. The goal is to partner 4 schools with 4 separate theatre artists and to create an original piece of theatre based on another piece of art -- a painting, poem, sculpture, etc. The four newly created pieces will be presented at the Play House as a single performance on an as yet undetermined date.

Much more we do not yet know. I never have had a problem walking into the woods without a map and I think this has the potential to be an exciting project.

I basic schedule has been established for a residency in the fall. The rest of the details will be worked out in short order. I don't have a map and I don't know for sure where we are going . . . but I think it is going to be a great, eventful journey.

maz

Rebirth and Renewal

2010-10-11T06:35:00.000-04:00

Rehearsals for DEAR GABBY: THE CONFESSIONS OF AN OVER-ACHIEVER began Friday.

This fantastic play by Chris DeCarlo and Evelyn Rudie is a moving and insightful rumination on growing up in a modern world. DEAR GABBY is not a typical "you don't understand me" teenaged play. It is a play that is about our universal experiences that touches our inner being in a sneaky and profound way. I have seen this play move both student and parent to tears.

Firestone Theatre loves this play so much that we have produced it almost every year in rep for ten years. Once we took it to the road performing in Dayton, Ohio, and in front of the playwrights (and others) for two special perfomances at the Santa Monica Playhouse in California. A common practice is for past participants to return and support the latest cast with their presence and remembrances. Last year's productions invited former company members to join the latest cast in a full company bow at the end of each performance. It was a great moment in the theatre as it provided an additional connection between students through their chosen art form.

This year's production of DEAR GABBY has been offered to Akron middle schools and high schools so that we can share its powerful message of acceptance to even more students. So far no schools have expressed the interest but it is early. Feel free to suggest it to middle and high schools who are interested in this sort of thing.

There will be a single public performance of this year's production of DEAR GABBY held on the stage of the Akron Civic Theatre. This performance is scheduled to take place on Wednesday, February 2, 2010.

This year's production of DEAR GABBY is directed by guest artist Elynmarie Kazle who was employed by the Santa Monica Playhouse at the time the play was originally developed and produced. Her understanding of the DEAR GABBY and the playwrights' intent is unparalelled. She brings so much more to the production than just simple direction. Her students are blessed by her passion for and insight into DEAR GABBY. We are blessed to have Elynmarie as a professional resource in our theatre family.

This year's cast features an outstanding group of students who are ready to go on a fantastic journey. Their first read-through is on Friday and I know they are eager to start down a road travelled by many before them. The cast includes seniors Caeli Droge and hayley Hineline; junior Marissa Wilson; sophomores Amelia Britton, Sierrah Jesiolowski, Aaron Eckhardt, DeAndre Haiston, Jada Langston, and Moe McHargh; and freshman Lani Skelley.

maz

Take me to your Leader

2010-10-10T09:26:00.000-04:00

I spent Saturday with six of our Thespians as they attended Troupe Development Day . . . which used to be called the Leadership Conference. I don't know anything about the name change but I do know the change the experience has brought about in the Firestone Thespians who attended.

The discussion was fast and furious in the car on the way home as the majority of our Thespian officers explored verbally their role in the remainder of this school year.

I have always thought that Thespians provided an unusual opportunity for student leadership. It is a student theatre group, guided by a student-written constitution but led by elected student officers and representatives. I create structure for the officers, remind them of appropriate by-laws, and provide the necessary adult supervision but the planning is up to them. But the officers lead the troupe.

Saturday's activities seem to have lit a fire in the Firestone students who attended. I am looking forward to where it leads.

Troupe Development Day is sponsored by the Ohio Educational Theatre Association. Their website can be found here.

maz

Tape This. Copy That.

2010-10-02T10:35:00.001-04:00

We do not videotape our shows. Not for archival or any other purpose. While I recognize the sentimental value this practice has for many parents, I also understand the concept of copyright protection and intellectual property. I know that when we produce a play or musical that we do not own its mechanical rights and therefore are not permitted to record it in any fashion.

I am regularly asked by parents and students if we videotape mostly I think because so many others do. I know of at least one school whose shows are taped and later exhibited on the local cable TV outlet. Others regularly make DVDs to sell to parents and fans. Others only make one copy for their "archives." All these schools are in violation of copyright regulations and may open themselves up to being sued in civil court.

I know that we can find thousands of school performances on YouTube. These clips can be a valuable resource when researching a particular show. However, plain and simple they are a violation of the copyright regulations. I struggle to ensure that clips of Firestone Theatre productions are not among them. I simply refuse to take this risk.

Every performance contract I have signed includes a clause specifically forbidding the taping of the work. To do so anyway violates the contract and might subject the school to a substantial fine or a moratorium -- meaning the publishing company may refuse to work with you in the future.

Firestone Theatre has never made a video version of a copyrighted work. The only time we have taped a show is when we owned everything: material, music, staging, artwork, etc. We taped the only original show we produced, Just Passing Thru, a collaboration with local artist Miller Horns. We did so mostly at Miller's insistence. We taped our recent production of Macbeth because we could. Shakespeare is not subject to copyright regulation and we had music written and performed specifically for our show.

I recently came across yet another online article explaining some of the myths about copyright laws. While this article is informative, it does not directly address the disturbingly common practice of videotaping theatre productions. Here is a the link. Check it out to better educate yourself about this complicated issue.

The King is Dead. Long Live the King.

2010-09-26T16:43:00.002-04:00

One show is put to bed as others are just waking from a long slumber.

Our successful production of THE PIANO LESSON closed last night in front of an appreciative audience after a brief but satisfying three-night run. The cast and crew should be proud of the work they completed on this exciting piece of theatre. Our gurst director, Miss Jennifer Kay Jeter, is to commended for leading her charges on a challenging journey through this piece pf theatre.

Monday after school we hold auditions for two plays: DEAR GABBY: THE CONFESSIONS OF AN OVER-ACHIEVER and our main stage production of Shakespeare's THE LIFE OF KING HENRY THE FIFTH. Both plays should be an exciting experience for all involved.

As we take down the set and store the props, we will also be thinking about our next shows. Hopefully you are, too.

Check out the details on our newly designed website at http://www.firestonetheatre.com/

A fine cast lines up for THE PIANO LESSON

2010-09-24T18:00:00.000-04:00

Here are the cast bios from our current show (and the director, too):

Sunetrius “Sunshine” Armstrong (Maretha) is a fifth grader at Miller South School of the Visual and Performing Arts and is excited to appear in her first play. She loves to swim, ride her bike, and play softball. Sunshine plays on the Diamond Dogs softball team and has enjoyed her time on the Firestone stage.

Jeremy Alexander Clarke (Avery) is a senior VPA Theatre student who is very excited to return to the FHS stage. He most recently appeared in the North Canton Playhouse production of The Wedding Singer and also appeared in our production of Sweeney Todd. Jeremy plans to study musical theatre in college. He thanks his mom, Lisa, Marci, Brenton, and his whole North Canton Playhouse family.

Shamara Costa (Berniece) is a senior VPA Theatre student who also sings in Symphonic Choir. She has appeared in our recent Summer Theatre Project, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, in addition to Firestone Theatre productions of Sweeney Todd, 1001 Afternoons in Chicago, and Noises Off.

LaSosha Rayshell Edwards (stage manager) is a senior VPA Theatre student who is currently the vice president fo the Thespian Troupe. She plans to pursue a medical degree in college.

Dred Geib (prop designer) is a junior VPA Technical Theatre student who has worked on many of our productions as well as productions with New World Performance Lab.

Kaylah Green (Grace) is a senior VPA Choral Music student who has previously appeared in our productions of Sweeney Todd and Crowns. She also sings in Women’s Chorus, Vocal Jazz, Madrigals, and Symphonic Choir. Kaylah is happy to return to the Firestone stage.

DeAndre Hairston (Lymon Jackson) is a sophomore VPA Theatre student appearing in his first Firestone Theatre production.

Greg Hill (Whining Boy) is a sophomore VPA Theatre student appearing in his third Firestone Theatre production. He appeared in last year’s Dear Gabby and 1001 Afternoons in Chicago.

Zoe Sapienza (assistant stage manager) is a sophomore VPA Theatre student. She recently served as the Stage Manager for the Summer Theatre Project, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. Zoe has appeared onstage in Dear Gabby and The One-Act Play Festival. She appeared as Robin Starveling in Weathervane’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream and as Kitty Bennet in Pride and Prejudice.

Stacee Starr (Doaker) is a senior VPA Visual Art appearing onstage in his first Firestone Theatre production. He has been on sound crew for our productions of 1001 Afternoons in Chicago and Sweeney Todd and aspires to be a theatrical set designer.

Denzel Washington (Boy Willie) is a senior VPA Theatre student who has appeared in many Firestone Theatre productions. He was seen in last year’s productions of Sweeney Todd and Noises Off. Denzel sings in the Madrigals and Symphonic Choir. Denzel is an active member of Firestone’s men’s Step Team.

Jennifer Kay Jeter (director) returns for her fifth stint directing at Firestone Theatre with August Wilson’s The Piano Lesson. She began her directorial work at the home of the Falcons in 2000 with The Amen Corner, followed by On Strivers Row in 2001, for colored girls who have considered suicide when the rainbow is enuf… in 2005 and Crowns in 2007. Miss Jeter is a performance artist, director, writer and scenographer in Ohio. A native of Akron, she attended Central Hower High School, and went on to earn both her bachelors and masters degrees from the University of Akron, concentrating on performance art. Her thesis entitled The Rites of Being: An Analytical Review of Performance Art as a Theatrical Form explored this experimental art form by documenting its history, its individualistic style, and how it is effected by and, in turn, affects society. Miss Jeter has worked in educational, community, and professional theatre. Miss Jeter’s intent as an artist is to research, document, and educate individuals regarding their economical, political, racial and cultural consciousness through art.

maz

Get Your Notes from the Director

2010-09-23T17:32:00.001-04:00

Courtesy of Miss Jennifer Kay Jeter, guest director:

The value of August Wilson’s THE PIANO LESSON as a teaching tool is unparalleled. Wilson is known for his careful dialogue structure. What may seem like random conversation at first read is actually brilliant construction that mimics the functional dysfunction within this particular group of characters.

Wilson allows the audience to peek at a segment of African Americans in the 1930s in Pittsburgh. Far enough North of the Mason Dixon line to escape the pressure of Jim Crow but never far enough away to escape their personal family history built from slavery, poverty and deceit.

Most importantly, in THE PIANO LESSON, Wilson writes about the importance of legacy. Like each of the eight characters that you will meet this evening, you have been gifted remnants from your predecessors’ lives and will in turn leave your own mark for future generations. What is your responsibility if any to future generations? There is no right or wrong answer. It is simply your story to tell.

FROM ME:
You have three chances to see this fantastic show. Tickets are available at the door.

Look to http://www.firestonetheatre.com/ for details.

maz

Theatre is Hard

2010-09-21T05:54:00.002-04:00

Theatre is hard work.

It’s true. Anyone who has done it for very long knows it’s true. But sometimes I tire easily of the discussion. We know how hard making theatre is so I try not to talk about it too much.

But, here we are on the first day of the fourth week of school. We are most of the way through the second dress rehearsal for a show that will be done before we record our first interim reports. I am not going to tell you how hard it is . . . but I will indulge in a brief discussion about how fast all this has been.

We have never put a show as early in the year as we are putting up THE PIANO LESSON and it has posed numerous problems that have had to be solved in a timely fashion. The set has to go up fast, the actors have to learn their lines fast, and the posters have to be made and put up fast. The props have to be collected fast, the lights have to be hung and focused early, and the sound cues have to be recorded fast.

It’s all the same amount of work but it just has to be done faster.

In a few days it is up to you to buy your tickets and enjoy this fantastic production of August Wilson’s Pulitzer Prize-winning drama. We may have done this show fast but the kids have worked hard and deserve a good audience.

Make plans to see THE PIANO LESSON on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. Check out the details at www.FirestoneTheatre.com if you need to know more.

There is HAIRSPRAY, yes, but So Much More, too

2010-09-19T09:24:00.003-04:00

I have never seen anything like it.

The recent announcement that we had picked up the rights to the outstandingly popular HAIRSPRAY has illicited more excitement than I would have thought possible. In fact, the initial response to one of my classes prompted so much celebration and unadulterated joy that one administrator immediately rushed into the room to find out what the commotion was about.

It was a moment of spontaneity and freedom that everyone should experience regularly.

Everyone seems to be talking about HAIRSPRAY in the halls and in class. People are making plans for auditions. Others are talking about how much scenery the show might require. Others are already imagining the costumes or the new confetti cannons.

Even though I, myself, get caught up in the excitement, I must remind myself and others that there is a lot of ground to cover between now and then. We have a full season of theatre to produce and HAIRSPRAY is the final float in the parade.

Just take a look:

THE PIANO LESSON is in dress rehearsals right now.

Auditions for HENRY V and DEAR GABBY: The Confessions of an Over-Achiever are next week.

Rehearsals for SCHOOL HOUSE ROCK LIVE begin next Tuesday.

Some people are looking forward to the ONE-ACT PLAY FESTIVAL in January.

Others are looking to make their mark in the ALL-SCHOOL TALENT SHOW also in January.

DEAR GABBY is set to make its single public performance at the Civic Theatre in February.

Official plans need to be made for our very first STUDENT FILM FESTIVAL.

Finally, there are plenty of THESPIAN activities to undertake including three conferences, several social activities, and a field trip to the Great Lakes Theatre Festival.

All of this happens or must be planned before HAIRSPRAY hits the boards. I think the excitement will be tempered somewhat as we move through all of these activities. But it will not be long before auditions come around and things will start to get really crazy.

Help me out. Buy a subscription to this fantastic season including what is sure to be a fantastic production of HAIRSPRAY. Our imminent production of August Wilson's THE PIANO LESSON is going to be good, too, and deserves to have a good audience . . . even if most of the audience is really looking forward to HAIRSPRAY.

The subscription order form can be found on the "download" page of our newly designed website.

Look for it at www.FirestoneTheatre.com.

maz

Even More Change than We Thought

2010-09-12T15:54:00.004-04:00

On Friday I signed the performance contract that will allow Firestone Theatre to present HAIRSPRAY as our musical in March.

We are no longer presenting THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE and instead are set to present the very popular show that just recently became available for amateur performances.

The reason for this change is both simple and complicated. I have been trying to secure the rights to HAIRSPRAY for three years. My repeated requests have been answered with e-mails from increasingly important people in the offices of MTI, the company that licenses the show.

In April, we were told the show was finally available and for a brief, shining moment we thought we could add it to the 2010-2011 season. However, it was not too long before I was told that a "professional" theatre in our area had locked up the exclusive rights and that HAIRSPRAY unfortunately would not be available to us this year.

We took a deep breathe and retreated to the shows that remained on our list. THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE was selected with respect for its pedigree and its potential to be a fantastic show for us.

But, wonders of wonders, on Friday I received a call from our MTI rep saying that their had been a "change" and that HAIRSPRAY would be available for us in March after all. I considered it for a few minutes, looked over the contract, and of course signed it. It's done. We are a HAIRSPRAY school in March, 2011!

The MTI site lists theatres that have active contracts for each of their shows. I looked through that list for HAISPRAY and saw just one other Ohio school that is set to present the show. We are not there yet, but we will be before too long. Check it out for yourself.

Buy your subscription. They are just $25.00 for adults and $20.00 for students. A form can be downloaded at website at http://www.firestonetheatre.com/

Fall is a Season of Change . . . even for our little theatre

2010-09-09T14:24:00.001-04:00

Firestone Theatre presents a full season of plays and musicals every school year. Each season is filled with theatre that is challenging to both our audience and students. All theatre lovers can see our entire season at a bargain price by taking advantage of our season subscription.

This year’s season kicks off with August Wilson’s classic play, The Piano Lesson, on September 22, 23, 24, and 25. In this play, a rich family history with origins in slavery is carved into the wood of the piano that could be Boy Willie’s ticket to self-sufficiency or Berniece’s legacy to her daughter. The Piano Lesson is the story of two siblings’ struggle to come to terms with their inheritance and the ghosts of their dead.

The action and poetry of William Shakespeare takes the stage with The History of Henry the Fifth on November 10, 11, 12, and 13, 2010. Young and brash King Henry V of England takes his nation to war with France. As he leads his troops into combat and experiences the true costs of war firsthand, Henry discovers that the challenges of leadership are greater than he ever imagined.

This year’s musical is the fantastically entertaining Thoroughly Modern Millie to be presented March 2, 3, 4, and 5, 2011. Taking place in New York City in 1922, Thoroughly Modern Millie tells the story of young Millie Dillmount, who has just moved to the city in search of a new life for herself. This musical features new music by Jeanine Tesori and new lyrics by Dick Scanlon. It also features a book by Richard Morris and Scanlon.

The season also includes the annual One-Act Play Festival to be held on Thursday, January 6, 2011.

The Annual Spring Dance Concert under the direction of FHS dance director Kelly Berick will be held April 8 and 9, 2011.

The Akron High School Film Festival is also included as part of the season on Friday, March 18, 2011

A season subscription is available to students for just $20.00 and to adults for $25.00. Look for complete information on the newly designed website at www.FirestoneTheatre.com.

There are Many Lessons to Be Learned

2010-09-08T17:55:00.001-04:00

Everybody learns something in this lesson. August Wilson’s play The Piano Lesson takes the stage for three performances this month at Firestone High School.

Performances are set for 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, September 23; Friday, September 24; and Saturday, September 25, 2010.

Tickets for The Piano Lesson will be available at the door on the night of each performance for $7.00.

Advanced tickets are an entertainment bargain as they cost just $5.00. All advanced tickets are available in the school’s commons from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. starting no later than Monday, September 22, 2010.

Advanced order forms for The Piano Lesson can be downloaded at www.FirestoneTheatre.com.

New Plans and New Designs

2010-09-04T09:27:00.002-04:00

Firestone Theatre is set to open in its new season on Thursday, September 23, 2010, with an outstanding production of August Wilson's play THE PIANO LESSON.

This fantastic play is under the direction of guest artist Jennifer Kay Jeter and features some of the finest actors available in the award-winning performing arts program at Firestone High School. Performances of THE PIANO LESSON are set for 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, September 23; Friday, September 24; and Saturday, September 25, 2010.

Tickets will be available at the door on the night of performance for 7:00 p.m. Advanced tickets are just $5.00!

Deatils for this production and the rest of the season are available on the newly designed website found at http://www.firestonetheatre.com/.

Firestone High School is located at 333 Rampart Avenue, Akron, 44313. Call the theatre office at 330-873-3408 for additional information.

What's not to Like?

2010-07-12T16:26:00.002-04:00

Thoughts on the Akron Summer Theatre Project, i.e. what did we learn?

It can be done. We now know that we can present theatre in the summer (and in the LIA) and that people will come to see it. We now have a foundation on which future work can be built.

Students benefit from the opporunity to participate. Several of the students involved in the process appeared on our stage (or backstage) for the very first time or in a major part for the first time. Most of our students made giant leaps forward in their understanding of the creative process. There was simply a lot of leaning involved in the Akron Summer Theatre Project.

Rough theatre can be exciting. It was fun to carve a theatre out of an empty room. Figuring out the stage, sound, and lights adds a level of creativity not generally available in a more typical theatre environment.

We can't do it alone. Good theatre is always a collaborative art form and those collaborators are more important when you are doing something totally It was a joy to work togther with colleagues such as Barbara Bellamy, Scot Sexton, and Rachel Galambos. Welcoming alumni such as Trishah Snowden and Stephen Carder back to our stage was a thrill. Working with new folks such as Alan Higbee, Marc Dusini, and Mathew Gilbert opens a door through which many good things may enter as time moved on. Each of these folks brought something to our process that made us all better artists.

Further, many others took on tasks and provided spiritual support to help produce and promote the show. While it would be nearly impossible to name each one of them, they should not go unrecognized.

We welcome support from other community organizations. We rehearsed at venues as varied as the NW Akron Family Recreation Center, the First Baptist Church of Akron, and Weathervane Community Playhouse. We have had a relationship with each of these organizations for years but their support helped to legitimize their commitment to educational theatre. We are stronger because they are in our neighborhood.

Five for Five

2010-07-11T12:26:00.004-04:00

Last night we closed the first Akron Summer Theatre Project as our production of THE 25th ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE completed its run of five public performances.

This project was conceived as a way to extend the classroom and provide a platform for learning in a way not typically possible during the school year. The Akron Summer Theatre Project is intended to provide students the opportunity to work side-by-side with talented alumni and experienced members of the theatre community on a production that we would not typically present as part of the Firestone Theatre season. In this way, the project clearly was a smashing success. Most of the students involved in the project made giant leaps forward in their performance and theatrical experience.

In THE 25th ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE, our students were able to work on an excellent modern musical that is simply too small to be presented successfully in our barn of a theatre. The LIA was an inspired venue choice with its functional air conditioning and cabaret-style proximity of performer and audience. It seats around 100 people which seems to be just about the perfect size for what we are doing. We were able to transform a large classroom into a theatre space that benefitted both the audience and the performance. Many member so the audience expressed their satisfaction with the space and told me that it was a good idea to use the LIA as a theatre.

It would not have been possible, of course, without the support of some very talented people who have donated their time and talent to the project. I had the pleasure of working with a fine group of people who were there to have fun and to work hard. Roles onstage and offstage were filled with talented, dedicated artists who took the project seriously like the professionals they truly are or aspire to be. Many thanks to each of them who signed on for the grand experiment and made magic happen with sticks and string. Thanks, too, to the students who jumped into this pool with both feet and never looked back. The show was well attended by patrons who enjoyed the enthusiasm of our cast and crew. Many expressed their admiration for the project.

I think we all have hopes that this is just the start of something that might have a long, successful life. When it does, we can each say we were there at the beginning.

An outstanding SPELLING BEE company

2010-07-09T13:15:00.003-04:00

Here are the bios for our cast and crew of THE 25th ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE. As I type this, there are just three performances remaining: Friday at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday at 4:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Tickets remain at the door for each.

Jon Bozeka (William Barfee) is a junior VPA Vocal Music student appearing in his sixth FHS production. He also sings with the Madrigals, Vocal Jazz, Symphonic Chior, and Mens Chorus. Jon has taken both voice and piano lessons from Sandra Schlub. He has enjoyed participating in the Akron Summer Theatre Project.

Shamara Costa (Olive Ostrovsky) is a senior VPA Theatre student appearing in her fourth FHS production. She was most recently seen as Mrs. Lovett in our production of Sweeney Todd. Shamara loves the stage and intends to attend college and pursue a career in musical theatre. She is pleased to have devoted a portion of her summer to this production.

Morgan Csejtey (assistant stage manager) is an eighth grade drama student at Miller South School for the Arts. She has been involved with theatre since she was seven and has loved every moment. Morgan has enjoyed working on Spelling Bee very much and looks forward to many more experiences with the Akron Summer Theatre Project.

Zoe Dong (Marcy Park) is a sophomore VPA Visual Art student appearing in her first FHS production. She studies at the Dance Institute on the campus of the Univeristy of Akron. Zoe has had lots of fun here with the awesome cast and crew of Putnam.

Marc Dusini (Douglas Panch) has appeared in many community theatre productions in Summit, Medina, and Cuyahoga counties. This is his first time with Firestone Theatre and it has been a wonderful experience. He currently serves on the board of The Western Reserve Playhouse in Bath Township.

Caeli Droge (Marcy Park) is a senior VPA Theatre student appearing in her third Firestone Theatre production. She previously appeared in Stage Door and The Producers. Caeli sings in the Symphonic Choir and plays violin. She is an active member of the Venturing Crew.
Matt Gilbert is a senior at Berea High School. He has appeared in productions of You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown, The Music Man, Little Shop of Horrors, and Alice in Wonderland. Matt thanks the Firestone Theatre community for welcoming him with open arms.

Hayley Hineline (Logainne Schwartzandgruenierre) is a senior VPA Theatre student and is the secretary of the Thespian Troupe. This is her 6th Firestone production. Hayley has performed in over a dozen shows in NE Ohio including Annie, The Wizard of Oz, and Twas the Night at Carousel Dinner Theatre. Hayley enjoys dancing, singing, and being with her friends!

Spencer Lightfoot (Leaf Coneybear) is a senior IB student appearing in his third FHS production. He sings with the Mens Chorus and Symphonic Choir. Spencer is a member of the diving team as well as the golf team.

Imokhai Okolo (lights) is an 11th grade IB student working on his fourth FHS production. He enjoys working on lights and loves working on all types of shows. Imokhai also participates with Mock Trial and Student Council. He aspires to be a lawyer.

Zoe Sapienza (stage manager) is a sophomore VPA Theatre student working on her third FHS production. She appeared onstage in Dear Gabby and the annual One-Act Play Festival as well as serving as the assistant stage manager fo the Spring Dance Concert. Zoe has appeared in Weathervane Playhouse productions of Pride and Prejudice and A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

Trishah (Scalera) Snowden (Rona Lisa Pereeti) is a Firestone High School alum, received her Bachelor’s degree in Music Ed. from Ashland University. She now teaches general music, choir, and musical theatre for Nordonia Hills City Schools. Trishah has performed for several professional and community theatres in the area including Magical Theatre Company, the former Carousel Dinner Theatre, South Bend Civic Theatre, Weathervane Playhouse, CAMEO, and Canton Players Guild. Favorite roles include Millie Dillmount in Thoroughly Modern Millie and Clair in Proof. Trishah thanks her family, especially her husband, Greg (also a FHS alum), for their support today and every day.

Scot M. Sexton (drums) is an alumnus of Firestone High School. He is happy to be a part of this production of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. Scot has recently relocated back to Ohio after living in NYC, and Seattle, WA. He would like to thank his wife Rayann for all her love and support.

Mark A. Zimmerman (Director) is a director and award-winning lighting designer with over 70 plays and musicals to his credit. His directing credits include productions at the Stow Players (Greetings!), the Western Reserve Playhouse (The Andrews Brothers, Rumors, Once Upon a Mattress), Weathervane Playhouse (The Crucible, The Philadelphia Story, Oliver!, among others), Coach House Theatre (Collected Stories), Cleveland Public Theatre (Eve Ensler’s Lemonade), the University of Akron (Into the Woods, Talk Radio), among others. He is married to Elynmarie Kazle and is helping her raise their 15-year-old, Banno Rothman.

Barbara Bellamy (music director) has served as Director of Vocal Music and Theater at Akron’s Kenmore High School since 1994. Prior to having a "real job," she performed as a solo singer/pianist in Melbourne, Australia, and around NE Ohio. She was an Artist in Residence with the Ohio Arts Council. She has acted and directed for community theaters in Hudson, Aurora, and Streetsboro. She is the proud mother of three grown children. She served her time as a "Spelling Bee Mom" in 1990 when her oldest son Al was ONE WORD AWAY from going to Washington DC. Thanks to Mark for inviting me to join this amazing team!

Rachel Galambos (choreographer) is a recent Ashland University theatre education graduate. She completed her student teaching at FHS and is the proud owner of a Drama /Theatre Teaching License. Rachel provided the choreography for our recent production of Sweeney Todd. Rachel has been a performer and choreographer for many theatres in the area. She currently teaches several acting classes at Weathervane Community Playhouse.

Alan J. Higbee (rehearsal accompanist / piano) has accompanied Seussical the Musical for West Geauga Middle School, You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown for Beaumont High School, Into the Woods for Independence High School and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum for the Geauga Lyric Theater Guild. He has also accompanied choral, vocal and instrumental recitals for many years in the Cleveland area, as well as playing keyboard for stage productions at Shore Cultural Center, Near West Theater, and several shows at Beachwood Community Theater. This past May he was the music director for 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee at Gilmour Academy. Mr. Higbee has been a professional organist for twenty-five years and currently plays at Ascension Lutheran Church in North Olmsted.

Elynmarie Kazle (stage management mentor) was elected an Honorary Firestone Thespian in 2007. She has trained and mentored our stage managers for many years and often has conducted stage management workshops for various Thespian conferences and around the country. Kazle is a Fellow of the United States Institute of Technology (USITT) and has worked as a stage manager and/or producer at theatres in New York, Cleveland, Minneapolis, and Los Angeles, with artists such as Mikhail Baryshinikov, Viggo Mortenson, Christopher Walken, and Tommy Tune, among others. She has directed three productions of Dear Gabby: the Confessions of an Under-Achiever for Firestone Theatre.

New Show, New Space

2010-07-01T13:10:00.001-04:00

Last night we held our first rehearsal in our special performance space, known to those familiar with Firestone High School as the LIA, or large instruction area.

We have turned this space into our own “black box” theatre that will sit around 100 patrons. As we worked on the show in this space, it became apparent to all how close our show will be to its audience. This is an exciting way to present theatre. We think we will enjoy watching THE 25th ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE in this fashion.

We have set up a small thrust stage around which an audience can sit on three sides. Each section has four rows. The furthest any audience member will sit from the stage is about 20 feet. In addition to proximity, the audience will enjoy more interaction with the performance than to what they might be accustomed in our 800-seat auditorium. The cast makes many entrances through the aisles and even uses some of the off-stage floor space as a dance area.

Three members of the audience will also find themselves on stage as part of the performance. It is a traditional part of the show that three volunteers from the audience become contestants in the spelling bee. Each volunteer will take a time or two at the microphone to spell words both common and obscure. This practice is popular with both audience and performers. It has been a standard part of the show since it first started to develop in workshop.

It is a little dangerous for the performers because you never know for sure what the audience volunteer will do once they get onstage. There are a few safeguards in place to make sure no volunteer hijacks the show. However, in the end, it is simply a matter of trust.

I think right now the actors are both scared and excited about the possibility of performing with three audience members who are simply being themselves. They are excited, too, because they think they have a really fun show to share with an audience. I am excited about that, too.

What we really need right now is you. Do you know what night you are seeing THE 25th ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE?

maz

Our SPELLING BEE could include you!

2010-06-30T04:01:00.003-04:00

An unusual aspect of THE 25th ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE is that three members of the audience are invited onstage to compete in the bee along with the six adolescent characters.

The regular cast of this the Akron Summer Theatre Project features an exciting mix of experience and enthusiasm. The cast is led by FHS seniors Shamara Costa (Olive Ostrovsky),Caeli Droge (Marcy Park), Hayley Hineline (Logainne SchwartzandGrubenierre), and Spencer Lightfoot (Leaf Coneybear) as well as Berea High School senior Matthew Gilbert (Chip Tolentino). They are supported by FHS junior Jon Bozeka (William Barfee) and FHS sophomore Zoe Dong (Marcy Park/understudy).

Also appearing in the cast are FHS graduates Trishah Snowden (Rona Lisa Perretti) and Stephen Carder (Mitch Mahoney). The production’s stage manager is FHS sophomore Zoe Sapienza. She is assisted by Miller South eighth-grader Morgan Csejtey.

To appear onstage with our cast of irregulars, you must volunteer in the lobby prior to each performance. Auddience volunteers are asked to present themselves (or others) at least 20 minutes prior to curtain.

THE 25th ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE will be presented at 7:30 on Thursday, July 8, Friday, July 9, and Saturday, July 10, 2010. A single matinee performance will be held at 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, July 10, 2010. This production is an entertainment bargain compared to other theatres in the area. All seats are general admission and cost just $10.00.

Please spell Hysterical

2010-06-29T08:57:00.001-04:00

Joyful competition and youthful heartbreak take center stage in a new production of THE 25th ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE. This energetic and hysterical music appears onstage for five upcoming performances at Firestone High School.

The special production is an extension of the school’s theatre education program and is presented under the name of the Akron Summer Theatre Project.

THE 25th ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE will be presented at 7:30 on Thursday, July 8, Friday, July 9, and Saturday, July 10, 2010. A single matinee performance will be held at 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, July 10, 2010.

This production is an entertainment bargain compared to other theatres in the area. All seats are general admission and cost just $10.00. Seating is limited. A special preview performance will be presented at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday, July 7. Admission for the preview performance is a mere $5.00.

Tickets for all performances are available by mail and at the door on the night of performance. Ticket order forms can be downloaded at www.FirestoneTheatre.com.

Thoughts on Student Participation

2010-04-07T13:02:00.006-04:00

Learning in the theatre is very much experiential in nature. The educational value a student derives from a theatre program is clearly dependent on the level of their involvement. A student must be present and active in the theatrical process to gain the greatest value from it.

Firestone Theatre’s educational philosophy recommends that the student be actively involved in the ongoing production of live theatre in the school. The student is expected to actively participate either onstage or off in two or more theatre productions each year. We rely on our students to populate the casts and crews of our own productions. The student’s artistic and intellectual growth is directly proportional to the level of his or her involvement in our activities. All theatre students are strongly encouraged to pursue the highest level of participation possible.

As a collaborative art form, theatre is dependent on a large contingent of students with a wide variety of skills and experiences. We recognize that the best theatre artist is one that possesses a life outside of the theatre and encourage students to also follow their non-theatrical passions. We likewise recognize the contributions of others and welcome students from outside the arts program and from other arts areas to participate in our activities. The student may choose to pursue excellent theatre experiences outside of school. This activity, while encouraged, should not impinge the student’s ability to participate in Firestone Theatre activities. Students must find ways to balance their commitment to Firestone Theatre with their other theatrical pursuits.

Firestone Theatre’s educational philosophy encourages students to pursue a variety of school activities whether they are artistic, academic, athletic or otherwise. We recognize the educational benefits of additional school activities and respect the discipline and work ethic each develops in the student. We do not encourage theatre activity at the exclusion of all other activities and expect the same from others. Firestone Theatre firmly believes that no student activity should discourage a student from participation in any or all other school activities.

Firestone Theatre recognizes that the student artist is a student first and therefore must maintain a good academic standing. District and school rules related to extra-curricular eligibility are strictly enforced.

maz

We Sound Better Thanks to the Kindness of Others

2010-04-05T23:12:00.004-04:00

We recently replaced our wireless microphones thanks to several especially kind donations and we already sound better. Due to a recent decision by FCC we had to make plans for ceasing use of the microphones we already owned. Buying new seemed like the best option but we were going to need help.

We are now proud owners of ten (10) new Audio-Technica wireless microphones thanks mostly to these generous organizations: Friends of Firestone (the FHS Alumni Association), FHS Student Council, FHS Parent-Teacher-Student Association (PTSA), and Firestone Choral Dance Theatre Association (FCDTA). Without these kind folks we would likely still be struggling to come up with the money to replace our outdated and soon to be un-usable sound equipment.

We purchased our original wireless microphones about 10 years ago and have been nursing them along for at least a couple of years. Before that we consistently rented or borrowed microphones for our productions. It was always a pain and we decided at that time that it would be better to purchase our own . . . besides, Audio-Technica (located in nearby Stow) told us that we couldn't borrow microphones from them any longer because they were discontinuing their loaning program. So we bought ten units at a fair price and have used them consistently in the time since. Those first mics served us well and it was always an advantage to have microphones of our own to use whenever we needed them.

More recently the FCC auctioned off the frequencies on which our microphones operated and we were made aware that we would have to dicontinue using our system by June 1, 2010. We were not alone as all schools, churches, and theatres that use mics for non-commercial purposes in the 700 mhz band would also be forced to stop or potentially face serious fines or at least significant interference from the commercial use of the frequencies.

I have heard that some organizations have decided to ride out the storm . . . waiting to see if some last-minute reprieve will be offered to schools or other non-profit organizations. We instead took action; we asked several organizations to match our financial efforts to replace our wireless system so that we would be compliant with the new FCC regulation. Not one request was denied and we were able to raise the necessary funds in fairly straight order.

Thanks to the generosity and support of the above organizations we have completely replaced our old and tattered wireless microphones and were even able to integrate some of the new equipment into our recent production of SWEENEY TODD. I am happy to say that the new equipment is a large step forward in quality. The new microphones sound great and provide a more consistent and warmer signal from our singers. These new microphones should also be cheaper to operate because they use AA batteries instead of the 9-volt batteries the old system required.

We now turn our attention to our failing sound board.

maz

Theatre Matters

2010-04-03T07:00:00.000-04:00

FROM LAWEEKLY.com

By Steven Leigh Morris
Thursday, Mar 25 2010

This past January, a press release arrived at the Weekly offices that caught my interest because it publicized a play written by my former UCLA professor Theodore Apstein. Before coming to UCLA, Mr. Apstein taught playwriting at Columbia University. For 27 years after that, until he died in 1998, he taught the craft at the Westwood campus. Despite an accomplished writing career in television and film, he never taught screenwriting.

I remember how Apstein spoke with affection for the theater, and of the various conundrums involved in having his plays put on in New York. His last play, which remains unproduced, was an autobiographical work named Leaving Kiev. This was the play discussed in the aforementioned press release:

"Theodore Apstein's career extends all the way back to the early days of television, writing for the dramatic series The General Electric Theater, The Alcoa Hour, Mystery Theater, Studio One and Hallmark Hall of Fame. He wrote for such television dramas as The Untouchables, Ben Casey, The F.B.I., The Virginian, Marcus Welby, M.D., The Waltons, Kung Fu and Another World, among others."

Next comes the sentence that stands out for me: "He also wrote some on- and off-Broadway plays."

That's it. Theater. Broadway theater! He also wrote some ... plays. Might those plays have a title?

If only this were some West Coast aberration, but in fact it's indicative of a far more pervasive, waning regard for theater in our culture.

For the record, Mr. Apstein wrote a play called The Innkeepers, which was produced on Broadway in 1956, directed by Jose Quintero, the L.A. City College– and USC-educated stage director from Panama, who went on to become one of the most celebrated directors of Broadway and off-Broadway plays in the American theater. Another of Apstein's plays, Come Share My House, was produced off-Broadway in 1960. But the larger point is the divide between the commonly held low regard for theater and its actual relevance — far greater than most are willing to acknowledge. From that chasm emerge the questions of why do theater at all, in these times, and what makes a good producer. After all, producers need a good reason, an incentive to keep producing plays. Because if they stop, we'll all be less than zero for it, culturally speaking. None of this can be addressed until we recognize the point of live theater, in this tiny corner of history, and in an even tinier backwater of recognized theatrical activity called Los Angeles.

The National Endowment for the Arts recently reported that arts attendance in the United States has hit new lows, with 34 percent attending an arts event once a week, down from 39 percent in 2002. (However, the report also noted a spike in audiences procuring their arts fix through the Internet.)

Add to this the emblematic proposal by the Los Angeles Unified School District to eliminate all elementary school arts teachers by the end of 2012, when statistics show a clear pattern of arts attendance established in those formative years.

This apathy toward the arts, and toward artists, is nothing new in America, but with text-messaging, tweeting, cell-photo–taking and social-networking technologies all tied into the escalating global-corporate control of almost all our affairs — now including unlimited corporate spending in political campaigns under the guise of "free speech," thanks to our Supreme Court — we appear to be surfing on a slow-moving wave toward a kind of globally engineered beachhead. On this beachhead, the sort of independence of thought and language that gets expressed through the arts in general, and in great theater in particular, gets dashed on the rocks.

On this beachhead, there exists a system of economics and communications that, more than ever before, financially serves the few at the expense of the many, while the people who govern this beachhead complain about the "elitism" of the arts. On this beachhead, history is either forgotten, or rewritten, or reduced to a few slogans. Here, the kinds of belligerence and barbarism that have always been part of the fabric of American life are given freer and freer rein, while qualities of compassion and critical thought, which have also always been part of the fabric of American life, slowly wash out to sea. We need look no further than the health care debate to see the kinds of obstinacy and greed that now pass for debate. And so it was in ancient Greece, an empire similarly ensconced in domestic barbarism and military adventurism. Yet it was the theater that reformulated the debates of that era with humanity and intelligence, and put those qualities back into the air that we still breathe more than 2,000 years later.

Do the people who belittle the arts do so because they're too expensive, irrelevant, or because the arts have the capacity to say unpredictable and unpleasant things? This beachhead vaguely resembles the former Soviet Union. They simply took artists they didn't like and either shot them or exiled them to Siberia. We're not killing or dumping artists. We're trying to dump the arts themselves.

Read the entire piece here.

New Name for Akron Arts Organization

2010-04-02T09:01:00.001-04:00

The name changes but the mission stays the same. The organization once known as Friends of Firestone High School VPA is now officially known as Advocates for the Akron Visual and Performing Arts.

The Advocates for the Akron Visual and Performing Arts have raised money for a variety of purposes but has given special emphasis to the awarding of scholarships to selected visual and performing arts students who choose to continue their arts education in college. Eight students have been awarded $4000.00 in the last two years. The latest round of scholarships will be awarded at a recognition assembly to be held at the school on Monday, May 3, 2010.

The Advocates for the Akron Visual and Performing Arts is a 501(c)3, non-for-profit organization organized in 2007. It is dedicated to supporting and promoting the highest standards for arts education and providing the greater Akron community with opportunities to experience and enjoy the Akron Public School’s visual and performing arts programs housed at Firestone High School.

Additional money has also been raised to help pay for private lessons, master classes in all arts areas as well as other guest artists who have collaborated with students in all disciplines.

The name change was undertaken mostly to eliminate confusion with an already existing organization called Friends of Firestone, an FHS alumni association.

Support this organization by becoming a fan on Facebook.

Fox Announces Open Casting Calls for TV show GLEE

2010-04-01T13:13:00.002-04:00

from Fox.com:

Online Submissions Will Be Accepted Exclusively on MySpace

Glee's executive producers are holding a nationwide online casting search for fresh, young, talented performers to fill new roles that will be featured during the show's second season.

Beginning March 30-April 26, amateur and professional performers between the ages of 16 and 26 will have the opportunity to submit an audition video exclusively on MySpace at myspace.com/gleeauditions

Visit myspace.com/gleeauditions for more information, song list and additional rules.

And be sure to sign up for the GLEE newsletter to stay in-the-know on your favorite show.

Need help? Contact MySpace directly.

FHS Graduate Appears in Object Collection production at The Chocolate Factory

2010-03-31T09:20:00.004-04:00

FHS alumni Eric Magnus is currently appearing in the Object Collection production of THE GEOMETRY at The Chocolate Factory. Here is a summary of the avant-garde production appearing off-off-Broadway through April 3, 2010, courtesy of THE L MAGAZINE online.

"The Geometry

Thu-Sat at 8pm; $15
212-352-3101
Theater: Off-Off Broadway

In what sounds like a perfect high-low cultural mashup, this multimedia performance, musical and interactive installation by Kara Feely, Travis Just and composer Jennifer Walshe experiments with forms from chamber (and soap) operas grafted onto narrative techniques taken from vintage video games–Donkey Kong and Pacman among others. The suspended, multi-stage set features four distinct performance spaces that periodically transform into video booths where live and recorded video reveal the actors and live electronic musicians preparing for the show.

The Chocolate Factory

5-49 49th Ave., between 5th St and Vernon Blvd (map)
Long Island City
718-482-7069 "

Here is a link. a

Director's notes for SWEENEY TODD

2010-03-30T10:28:00.003-04:00

FROM THE FIRESTONE THEATRE PLAYBILL:

On the surface, SWEENEY TODD might appear to be simply a gruesome, Gothic freak show. Anyone who has seen the recent motion picture probably thinks SWEENEY TODD is a bloody, horrible mess. Some people might go as far to say that SWEENEY TODD is inappropriate for high school production.

While certainly on the edge of good taste, SWEENEY TODD is a daring piece of musical theatre with which all serious theatre students should become familiar. The musical is cited by many as Stephen Sondheim’s greatest score and by others as perhaps one of the best ever written. For me, the show is alittle like an onion in that we peel away layer after layer and there is always more to discover.

I am pleased to say that we are not the first high school to present SWEENEY TODD but I am even more satisfied that the dozen or more recent productions have generated no discernable controversy. A recent internet search reveals more than 50 American high schools have presented the play in recent years. According to MTI’s website, about 25 schools are contracted to present the play in the next 2 months. This list includes one middle school and several Christian or Catholic schools.

At its heart, SWEENEY TODD is grounded in good old-fashioned melodrama – not too far removed from the guy in the black hat with the handlebar moustache and the ready train tracks. The good and bad characters are clearly defined . . . and the bad characters are very very bad. They are motivated by simple things – Todd: revenge; Lovett: money, Johanna is the simple, beautiful damsel sought as a partner by both good and evil. Anthony is the whistle-clean hero with a pure heart and only the best intentions.

I think there is a lot of humor in SWEENEY TODD and we have tried to emphasize it. There is, of course, a dark humor running though the entire piece. Many comic moments are ironical or sarcastic and may easily slip by if one is not paying close attention. The recent movie mostly wiped these moments away and seemed to concentrate on mood and action. In our production, we instead look to the comedy and the beauty of the score to guide us.

Todd gets his in the end so there is no reason to fret over lessons learned. He pays his price twice; he must reconcile the fact that he has unknowingly killed his own wife and just about when he is done with that he is cut down by a character representing his own lost innocence. It is not a pretty story but it is a good one with important lessons to be learned.

Auditions will be April 3 for Soap Box Derby movie

2010-03-27T12:58:00.001-04:00

Ohio.com - Auditions will be April 3 for Soap Box Derby movie

Who gets eaten and who gets to eat?

2010-03-26T10:38:00.003-04:00

This question is answered tonight and tomorrow as Firestone Theatre presents Stephen Sondheim's classic musical thriller, SWEENEY TODD:THE DEMON STREET OF FLEET STREET.

Tickets remain for all three performances and can be purchased at the door or in the school commons from 11:00 a.m. to 1:oo p.m. today (Friday). The school is located at333 Rampart Avenue in Akron (44313).

These performances remain:
Friday, March 26, 2010, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, March 27, 2010, 2:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.

Audience comments so far include . . . . "Awesome!!!!" . . . .
"Great show" . . . . "bloody good" . . . . "Yet another spectacular production" . . . .

You get to eat, too, at a special spaghetti dinner held at the school between the matinee and evening performances on Saturday. Patrons of either performance as well as people not attending the show are encouraged to partake of this delicious dinner option.

SPECIAL SPAGHETTI DINNER
Saturday, March 27, 2010,
5:00 - 7:00 p.m.

This full meal includes pasta with meat or red sauce as well as a lettuce salad, a tasty three-bean salad, and a yummy dessert.

Single Meal -- $7.00
Couple's Meal -- $12.00
Family 4-Pack -- $22.00

See www.FirestoneTheatre.com for additional information.

Become a fan of Firestone Theatre on Facebook.

Fast and Furious One-Act Plays on the Way to Firestone's Stage

2009-12-17T12:12:00.005-05:00

Four fast and funny plays make up Firestone Theatre’s One-Act Play Festival.

This annual event is to be held in the Linda B. Kersker Auditorium at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, January 7, 2010. All tickets cost $5.00 and will be available only at the door on the night of the show.

The festival is comprised of four comedies including "13 Ways to Screw Up Your College Audition" by Ian McWethy, "Check Please: Take 3" by Jonathon Rand, "Dinner with the MacGuffins" by Chris Sheppard and Jeff Grove, and "How to Succeed in High School Without Really Trying" by Jonathan Rand.

"13 Ways to Screw Up Your College Audition" is directed by FHS alumnus Brian Jackson and features a cast comprised of juniors Ally Freel, Haley Hineline, Christopher Sharkey, and Andrew Mills; sophomore Jacquie Hailstock; and freshman Sierrah Jesiolowski. 13 Ways to Screw Up Your College Audition tells the story of two college recruiters at a prestigious university who need to fill one last spot to keep their jobs, thirteen eccentric, dimwitted and slightly-insane high school seniors are eager to come in for an interview. What seems like a simple task turns into a nightmare when the applicants turn out to be a reality TV star, a practicing vampire, an amateur magician, and others that are much, much worse. Each applicant's interview hilariously illustrates what NOT to do at a college interview.

"Check Please: Take 3" is directed by FHS senior Benjamin Isaiah Black and features a cast comprised of senior Curtis J. Walton; juniors Jeremy Clarke, Bria Cooke, LaSosha Edwards, Lauren Johanni, sophomore Rachel Black; and freshman Demaris Evans.
In "Check Please: Take 3," best friends Guy and Girl used to be a couple. Desperate to buck singlehood, they decide that even considering their atrocious blind dating track record, it's worth another shot. But after struggling through dates with a wannabe rock star, a vote-starved politician, and the guy who does those intense movie trailer voice-overs, there's the inevitable question: Which is better -- staying single the rest of your life, or suffering through a series of the worst dates in history?

"Dinner with the MacGuffins" is directed by FHS alumnae Sam Ost and features a cast comprised of senior Stephen Carder; juniors Becca Aronholt, Caeli Droge, and Denzel Washington; sophomore Jon Bozeka; and freshman Katie Johanni. "Dinner with the MacGuffins" is a typical family comedy: teenage James and girlfriend Karen try to make out one afternoon, only to face repeated interruptions by other members of James' family. But the ultimate interruption comes when a cell phone goes off in the audience, breaking the "fourth wall" so that James can see the spectators. As James tries to convince his increasingly worried family that a wall is missing from their house, and that people are watching them, the play takes more left turns than Bugs Bunny should have taken at Albuquerque -- until it reaches a happy (if twisted) ending.

"How to Succeed in High School Without Really Trying" is directed by FHS theatre director Mark A. Zimmerman and features a cast comprised of senior Jamila Okantah; juniors Jasmine Benson-Williams, Jillian Bryson, Josh Palan, and Christina Smith; sophomores Shayla Averiette and Geonah Miller; freshman Nick DeShane and Zoe Sapienza. "How to Succeed in High School Without Really Trying" asks the important question, want to know the easiest way to make it through the grueling abyss known as high school? A group of student agents infiltrate an assembly to demonstrate their secret tips and tricks, ranging from legally changing your name to get around roll call, to using Tom Cruise to help memorize science terms. High school will never be the same.

Rachel York in 101 DALMATIONS

2009-11-16T16:39:00.002-05:00

I wish I had seen this story before meeting Rachel York earlier today. I had forgotten that the show was using real, live dalmations and that animal advocacy is a big part of her life. She is featured briefly on this online story.

More thoughts on Ms. York's visit to Firestone High School soon.

It's Time to Think Like a Star!

2009-11-16T09:23:00.002-05:00

The NE Ohio Area Rep, Russ Kwitkowski, recently posted information regarding upcoming meetings for STARs -- STUDENT AREA REPRESENTATIVES. These are students that meet and plan major portions of the Area Thespian Conference which is to be help here at FHS on January 9, 2009.

Any Thespian from a participating school can become a STAR and I hope that many of our students get involved as we are hositng the event this year. Past STARs have reported great satisfaction with the experience and have encouraged other students to get involved.

I like to see lots of students involved in Thespian activities. I think this involvement has led only to good things and has helped my students to become better artists, leadeers, and members of their community.

Below is the post from Mr. Kwitkoski:

"Attention NE AREA Thespians....

Are you a STAR? That is a "student area representative"? If so, it's time to start work on the Area Conference! STARs is open to all creative students who are interested in furthering their participation in NE Area Conference. It is also from these students that next year's SSO will be chosen. Please look at the below dates and locations for the upcoming STARs meetings and then confirm with me at rkwitkowski@ohedta.org if you are interested in participating.

STARS meeting Saturday, Nov 21st 1-4pm at Riverside High School
STARS meeting Saturday, Dec 5th 1-4pm at Archbishop Hoban High School
STARS meeting Friday, Jan 8th, 5-9pm at Firestone High School
NE AREA Conference, Saturday, Jan 9th at Firestone High School

Thanks.

Russ Kwitkowski
NE AREA Representative"

Thoughts on DEAR GABBY's Run

2009-11-12T11:13:00.003-05:00

As I write this, DEAR GABBY: THE CONFESSIONS OF AN OVER-ACHIEVER has already presented two of its four performances to very responsive crowds. Even the 4:00 p.m. show show had about 50 people in attendance . . . which I think is awesome. We set extra chairs for the 7:00 p.m. show so we had about 80 patrons.

I know that this response would not be possible without the support of my colleagues in the Language Arts department. They have distributed flyers for the show and encouraged their students to attend the show. Some have even offered extra credit to students who have attended the show.

DEAR GABBY is a delightful production under the careful direction of Elynmarie Kazle. Elynmarie has ties to the show that go all the way back to the beginning at the Santa Monica Playhouse so I know she considers herself an ambassador for the play and the Playhouse.

We originally presented DEAR GABBY on the main stage back in 1999. It was under the directionthen of Melanie Pepe who is now the Education Director at Weathervane Playhouse. Most of the kids who appeared in that first production are now living and working in NYC, LA, and Chicago. Some of them are still pursuing a career in theatre and others have moved on to other exciting career opportunities.

We have presented the show several times over the years. I think this year's production repesents the 7th FHS production. Melanie directed the first two; I directed the second two; and Elynmarie has directed the rest. Additionally, I once directed a production of DEAR GABBY for Weatehrvane's Summer Stock class which was presented at the Coach House Theatre due to the ongoing renovations at Weathervane. One year we even took our production back to Santa Monica to present it in its home theatre in front of its playwrights, Chris DeCarlo and Evelyn Rudie.

Elynmarie swears she knows the play by heart. I know large sections of it. We only argue a little bit about how to stage the play. She usually finishes the argument with a sentence that starts with "Evelyn always said . . . "

Four alumni cast members were in the audience for last night's 7:00 p.m. show. It was an especially emotion moment for me to see those four join the current cast on stage. We like to think of DEAR GABBY as an extended family that just grows and grows. I hope more alumni come to the shows later today.

DEAR GABBY director's notes by Elynmarie Kazle

2009-11-11T14:33:00.004-05:00

Courtesy of Elynmarie Kazle, our guest director.

Why didn’t anyone tell us? Did they think in hindsight it was not important? Of course we need a hand up so all of those detours and wrong turns don’t frighten or confuse us…

The message of this play, still powerful after all these years (having seen the original production in 1988) is that growing up is not easy, that we all need a hand up; that we all need to learn and grow with each other.

Often as adults it is easy in our over-scheduled, work filled, frazzled, day to forget that our teens are taking some very big steps into the world. Every day they face challenges and decisions for the very first time - and something that would seem to be an insignificant incident in our life takes on so much more importance when your time on this planet has been much shorter.

We have gone through a lot in this rehearsal process. In and out of rehearsal we have experienced some of those BIG but not so big moments. We have had cast changes, waylaying experiences such as H1N1, family trips and school obligations; but through it all we have bonded as a company and made some very important discoveries along the way. And we are pleased to share these with you, today.

I would like to thank the Firestone Staff for their support of our production; especially Mr. Zimmerman, Mrs. Schneider, the Firestone Custodial staff, Mr. Petry and Tom Weaver. Thank you for coming today and please take away the reminder that from time to time, we all need a helping hand.

We need a 'helping hand.' See DEAR GABY Wednesday or Thursday

2009-11-11T09:39:00.001-05:00

She may not know all the right answers but she does ask all the right questions. Dear Gabby: The Confessions of an Over-Achiever tells the story of a teenaged girl who confronts a series of life-lessons as she writes the advice column for her school’s paper.

The funny and poignant play will be performed in the Linda B. Kersker Auditorium at 4:00 and 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday, November 11 and Thursday, November 12, 2009. All tickets cost $7.00 and are available by mail order and in the school commons from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. starting Monday, November 9. 2009. Seating is limited so patrons are encouraged to buy their tickets in advance.

Dear Gabby: The Confessions of an Over-Achiever is by Chris DeCarlo and Evelyn Rudie, who serve as co-Artistic Directors of the Santa Monica Playhouse in California. They describe their play as an interactive theatre experience, which explores such teen concerns as first love, peer pressure, rejection, relationships, drugs, cheating, self-esteem, and the passion and pain of piano lessons.

Dear Gabby is under the direction of guest artist Elynmarie Kazle who has already twice directed the play at Firestone High School. She worked at the Santa Monica Playhouse at the time of Dear Gabby’s original performances and tours. Firestone Theatre has presented the play six times over ten years to a wide variety of audiences. One production toured to the Dayton, Ohio, area as well as returned home to the Santa Monica Playhouse for two fund-raising performances. Kazle has served as the school’s Stage Management Trainer and Mentor for 10 years and recently worked at the Cleveland Playhouse.

The cast of Dear Gabby: The Confessions of an Over-Achiever is lead by senior Jesse Askew who takes on the lead role. She is supported by seniors Stephen Carder and Paige Hewett; juniors Emma Durante and Lauren Johanni; sophomores Jaqcuie Hailstock and Marissa Wilson, and freshmen Gregory Hill and Zoe Sapienza. Freshmen Imohkai Okolo and Wil Banno Rothman serve as co-stage managers.

Call the theatre office at Firestone High School at 330-873-3408 for additional information.

Fly Like a Falcon

2009-11-10T15:45:00.001-05:00

Get ready to fly with the falcons at Firestone High School’s official open house!

The staff and students of Firestone High School will hold an open house for prospective students and their families from 12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, December 6, 2009. Students in grades six through eight and their families are welcome to visit the school during this open house. Faculty and staff will be present to answer questions about the school and its many programs. This event had previously been scheduled for an earlier date.

Firestone High School’s open house will include tours of the building and specific information regarding the many special programs and activities such as 13 Advanced Placement courses and an outstanding International Baccalaureate program, as well as Information Technology and Project Lead the Way (engineering). The open house will also include informal performances by the various performing arts programs available on this campus for the Visual and Performing Arts. The programs include Choral Music, Dance, Instrumental Music, Theatre, and Visual Art. Firestone High School also offers a wide variety of academic clubs and 20 varsity sports.

Prospective students and their families will be given insight to a school that provides an excellent public education at no cost or tuition free. The school has been rated “excellent” by the State of Ohio for five consecutive years. Firestone High School has been named by Newsweek Magazine as one of America’s Best High Schools” every year over the past five years. Last year’s graduates received in excess of $4-million in college scholarships.

Firestone High School is located at 333 Rampart Avenue, Akron, 44313. Call 330-873-3315 for additional information.

Ohio.com - Akron bands past, present perform

2009-11-05T12:00:00.000-05:00

Ohio.com - Akron bands past, present perform

How do you learn all those lines?

2009-11-01T16:47:00.005-05:00

If you have ever been to a theatre talk-back, you have heard this question before. Apparently, the answer is sometimes you don't. The NY Times ran an article in today's edition on that very subject. Read it here:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/29/theater/29actors.html

Line memorization is a real problem for me as a director. We call it mule work because it is something that just has to be done. I remind student actors over and over again that memorization has to happen before the real work of a rehearsal process can get started. Some students learn their lines right away and others wait and wait. It's really not fair to the show or to the other actors to struggle with lines until the final moments of dress rehearsals. I know that there have been several shows under my direction that have suffered a great deal because of poor line memorization.

I myself am not immune to this criticism. I must admist that as an occassional actor I have had my share of problems with line memorization. It is one of the reasons I act so infrequently . . . and also why I usually am mostly interested in smaller onstage roles.

I certainly understand Angela Landsbury using an earpiece to get a few line prompts at her age. I saw her recent Broadway production of BLITHE SPIRIT from the front row and did not notice an ear piece on her. However, I did notice a place where I thought she might have gone up on her lines but my perception was that her fellow actors picked them up for her. It did not alter my enjoyment of the show or of her outstanding performance.

I would have been greatly disappointed to see one of the other, much younger, performers wearing an earpiece or receiving prompts from the front row (as is discussed in the NY Times article).

I have never dismissed an actor for not learning their lines but I have considered it. I can't imagine offering a student actor an earpiece or an offstage prompter but I guess all things are possible. If Broadway actors such as Matthew Broderick require a prompter, it might not be long before we all ask for one.

This is funnier than regular episodes of THE OFFICE

2009-10-31T13:53:00.001-04:00

John Kenley Dead at 103

2009-10-29T17:47:00.005-04:00

I never worked with Mr. Kenley but I know plenty of people who did. I saw several of his shows when he was still making theatre in Akron and elsewhere. As I understand it, he was definitely a one-of-kind theatre professional.

Read more about John Kenly and his career here:

http://www.playbill.com/news/article/134206-John_Kenley_Regional_Theatre_Legend_Dies_at_103

FHS Alumni Eric Magnus Opens Play in NYC Today

2009-10-27T14:13:00.003-04:00

I love it when former students are doing fun and exciting things.

Click the link below to read a story about an outrageous play that opens today in NY featuring 2002 Firestone Theatre alumni Eric Magnus. He appeared in many of our shows here and was always hysterically funny. His most memorable roels for us might be as Selsdon in NOISES OFF and as Sheriden Whiteside in THE MAN WHO CAME TO DINNER.

Eric is also a graduate of Ohio Wesleyen University, a former Miller South student and an Eagle Scout.

Playbill News: Dafoe Headlines Foreman's Idiot Savant at the Public, Beginning Oct. 27

Buy the Subscription: Save the Money

2009-09-13T20:18:00.001-04:00

One low price opens the door to the most exciting educational theatre around. Firestone Theatre is currently offering a subscription to its outstanding 2009 – 2010 theatre season.

For as little as $20.00 for students and $25.00 for adults, a Firestone Theatre subscription in the entertainment bargain of the year! A subscription gains you entry to one performance of each Main Stage production in addition to the annual One-Act Play Festival, the inaugural Akron High School Film Festival, and the annual Spring Dance Concert. A limited number of premium, reserved subscriptions are available for $32.00.

The 2009 – 2010 Firestone Theatre Season opens with the hysterical comedy NOISES OFF by Michael Frayn. It is under the direction of Mark A. Zimmerman and runs at 7:30 p.m. on October 3, 4, and 5, 2009. NOISES OFF is a well-known backstage farce that features hilarious high-jinx, slamming doors, and many plates of sardines.

Additional productions include 1001 AFTERNOONS IN CHICAGO by Paul Peditto. This exciting play is based on the writings of Ben Hecht and is uner the direction of Myron J. Lewis. It is set to run at 7:30 p.m. on December 3, 4, and 5, 2009. 1001 AFTERNOONS IN CHICAGO is a bustling pageant of Chicago street life in 1927.

The theatre season concludes with the annual musical which this year is SWEENEY TODD: THE DEMON BARBER OF FLEET STREET. This thriller musical features words and music by Stephen Sondheim and a book by Hugh Wheeler. It is under the direction of Mark A. Zimmerman and is set to run at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday, March 24, as well as at 7:30 p.m. on March 25, 26, and 27, 2010. A special matinee is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 24, 2010. SWEENEY TODD is the rare instance of a musical thriller. It is a chilling, suspenseful, heart-pounding masterpiece of murderous barber-ism.

A season subscription also includes admission to the annual One-Act Play Festival to be held Thursday, January 7, 2010, and the first annual Akron High School Film Festival on Friday, February 26, 2009, as well as the annual Spring Dance Concert on April 30 and May 1, 2010.

A subscription order form can be downloaded at www.FirestoneTheatre.com. Call the Firestone Theatre office at 330-873-3408 for additional information.

The New Season is About to Debut

2009-09-11T08:32:00.002-04:00

You will laugh out loud at our production of Michael Frayn’s outstanding play NOISES OFF.

This well-known British farce has long been credited as the funniest play ever written and has been produced on Broadway and on London’s West End twice with smashing success each time. The Firestone Theatre production of NOISES OFF will be presented in the Linda B. Kersker Auditorium at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, October 1; Friday, October 2; and Saturday, October 3, 2009. General admission tickets are $5.00 in advance and $8.00 at the door. A limited number of premium, reserved tickets are available for each performance of NOISES OFF for $10.00. Advanced tickets will be made available from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. in the school’s commons starting Monday, October 28, 2009. Premium tickets can be purchased in advance or at the door on the night of performance.

A season subscription is available at the low cost of $25.00 for an adult and $20.00 for a student. A limited number of premium season subscriptions are available at the low cast of $32.00.

NOISES OFF presents the story of a hapless English acting troupe who are touring a production of a farce called Nothing On. Expect lots of doors slamming, romantic dalliances, confusions, and, of course, plates of sardines. NOISES OFFwas first presented in 1982 at the Lyric Theatre in London. The American premier took place in 1983 at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre where it earned Tony Awards for Best New Play as well as for its direction and for two of its actors. NOISES OFF was revived in both London and New York in 2001 and made into a poorly received major motion picture in 1992. The play has become a staple for university and community theatres across the country. Firestone Theatre first presented the play in 2000 and therefore represents the first revival of a production since the institution of the school’s nationally recognized visual performing arts program.

The cast of Firestone Theatre’s production of NOISES OFF is led by seniors Ben Black, (Frederick Fellowes), Ian Bolden (Lloyd Dallas), Jenni DeLuca (Belinda Blair), Naajia Douglass (Dotty Otley), Kevin Glass (Selsdon Mowbray), and Shannon Thanasiu (Brook Ashton). The cast of Noises Off is completed by juniors Shamara Costa and Tessa DiTirro who are sharing a role (Poppy-Norton-Taylor) and Denzel Washington (Garry Lejeune); and sophomore Jon Bozeka (Tim Allgood).

NOISES OFF is under the direction of theatre director Mark A. Zimmerman. Senior Anika Gupta serves as the production’s stage manager. She is assisted by freshman Banno Rothman. Other student designers include junior Randall Hall (lights), senior Jamila Okantah (sound), sophomore Dred Geib (props). Guest artist Daniel Taylor serves as the production’s hop foreman and master carpenter. Donna Curfman is the resident costume designer. Erin Bennett serves as the resident hair and make-up designer.

The 2009 – 2010 Firestone Theatre Season includes NOISES OFF by Michael Frayn on October 3, 4, and 5, 2009. Additional productions include 1001 AFTERNOONS IN CHICAGO by Paul Peditto on December 3, 4, and 5, 2009, and SWEENEY TODD: THE DEMON BARBER OF FLEET STREET with words and music by Stephen Sondheim and a book by Hugh Wheeler on March 24, 25, 26, and 27, 2010. A season subscription also includes admission to the annual One-Act Play Festival to be held Thursday, January 7, 2010, and the first annual Akron High School Film Festival on Friday, February 26, 2009, as well as the annual Spring Dance Concert on April 30 and May 1, 2010.

Why I Love THE PRODUCERS and why you should, too

2009-03-04T21:27:00.002-05:00

I have come to understand that Mel Brooks wrote THE PRODUCERS because, as a Jew and a World War II veteran, he hated the Nazis. Brooks figures the best way to beat the Nazis now, decades after the collapse of the Third Reich, is to make fun of them. He intends in The Producers to make Nazis appear ridiculous as that is how he sees them.

Brooks’ 1968 movie was a moderate success in its time but has come to be known as a comedy classic thanks to Brooks’ heavy satire and the seminel performances of Zero Mostel and Gene Wilder. There is no question the The Producers in 1968 was the darkest of dark comedies . . . what with the Holocaust in the living memory of just about anyone who might have seen the film in its original release. Even now the film seems a little on the edgy side.

Thirty years later the 2001 Broadway musical was transformed into farce. It is excellent fodder for a fantastically funny musical comedy even with its jarring images of dancing storm troopers as well as a very fey Adolph Hitler. In some ways, THE PRODUCERS you might see in our theatre is Mel Brooks’ greatest hits. He borrows heavily from his movies and is humor and world view well represented throughout the play. It could be a fun game to play: keeping score of the the lines and jokes from other Mel Brooks' movies.

Ultimately, the Producers is not about the Nazis who are so present in the story-telling. Instead, THE PRODUCERS is about the redemptive quality of true friendship. When the play is over, both Max and Leo are better people for having become friends. That’s a lesson we can all learn.

It's a Monster of a Show!

2009-03-04T06:19:00.003-05:00

THE PRODUCERS is really kicking our butt.

I don't remember the specifics but what I do remember is not pretty. As I recall, when THE PRODUCERS was in its first previews in New York, some scence chages were taking up to 25 minutes. We have been told tht the running time was somewhere north of 5 hours. That's how hard this show can be on a stage crew.

We are no where near the 5 hour mark on our show -- it should be around 2 and half hours instead. We have also cut design elements that obviously appeared on Broadway. We have cut other elements we planned to include but ran out of time to create for our show. We are working very hard to get things finished in time for the first performacne on thursday, but, as they say, the paint might still be wet.

Who Doesn't Like Spaghetti?

2009-02-27T09:22:00.002-05:00

No one, I hope.

Because the Firestone High School Stage Parents Association will hold a Special Spaghetti Dinner from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Saturday, March 7, 2009. The dinner is open to all and is priced so that everyone can afford it.

This affordable and tasty spaghetti dinner will be held in the school's cafeteria between the matinee and evening performances of school's annual musical, THE PRODUCERS. A delicious dinner featuring a home-made red sauce complete with salad and bread is available along with dessert. will be served at a reasonable price from 5:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. A single dinner is only $6.00. A couple eats for just $10.00. A family of four can have dinner for as little as $20.00.

Tickets to the Spaghetti Dinner can be purchased in the school's commons from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. on all school days. Pre-sale tickets to THE PRODUCERS can also be purchased during that time. Tickets for both the dinner and the performances will be available at the door on the evening of the event.

Patrons from both the 2:30 p.m. and the 7:30 p.m. performances of THE PRODUCERS are invited to eat a delicious dinner with us either before or after their show.

Dinner-only patrons are welcome to attend.

Meet the Press

2009-02-26T09:55:00.004-05:00

There is a nice feature on THE PRODUCERS in today's issue of the West Side Leader. It is the kindof attentionthat definitely helps to sell tickets and I am glad that the Leader is still willing to help out the poor HS shows when they need it the most.

Kathleen Folkerth came by last week and spent a few minutes with me and some of my students. Brian Jackson (Max), Andrew White (Leo) and Rosilyn Jentner were quoted andthere is a funny picture of Brian and Andrew that I took on our stage.

You can read the article here.

Who Gave You the Right?!?

2009-02-25T11:32:00.003-05:00

In our case it was Musical Theatre International -- or M-T-I as it is called "in the biz."

MTI administers the performance rights for THE PRODUCERS so if you want to present the show at your theatre you need to call them . . . and you better have your checkbook ready because it is not cheap. I don't want to get into the nitty gritty of the expense because it is different for everybody based on how big your house is and how expensive your tickets are. It also matters if you are a professional theatre, an amatuer theatre, or an educational theatre. Our 780 seats add up fast so our bill gets to be pretty huge even though we are a little educational theatre program that honestly does not attract a very big audience. -- at least not more than 700 per night!

Our bill for performance rights to THE PRODUCERS is kind of complicated. You have to pay royalties per performance and this money that goes to the authors -- in our case mostly to Mel Brooks and a little, I assume, to the estate of Thomas Meehan. We also pay rental because all the material has to be returned to the company. A two-month rental is standard and we need three so that's extra. We also require three conductor's scores (when two is standard) so that even more. We also pay a security deposit that may or may not be returned to us depending on whether or not we return the books in a timely fashion and in good condition.

We pay some incidental rights expenses, too, for THE PRODUCERS. We paid extra for a stage maangers script so that there wre no illegal photocopies. We also paid for a director's script and a choreographers guide that includes all of Susan Stroman's dance notations and blocking for the actors. This is the first time I have seen any of these three items available from the publishers and they have definitely come in handy.

If you are going to do the THE PRODUCERS you must pay for it . . . just like almost every other show. If you don't , you are stealing money from the authors and I have a problem with that. I talk often to my students about the concept of "intellectual property" becasue one day they will write a play and they deserve to be paid when some produces it on their stage. So we happily pay MTI for the performance rights and put on our show.

Sometimes people put on shows without the performance rights and I find this practice very troubling. Some people figure "What's the harm?" or "Who's to know?" However, someone is trying to make money off of this product and the whole point is for you to lease the rights to put on your show so that they can make a little money on it.

You might think that a show like PETER PAN, for instance, is so old that it has fallen into the public domain already and that you don't have to ask for permisison to put it on. In this case, you would be very wrong. The rights to PETER PAN in England have expired and therefore are in the public domain but here in the States the copyright is not set to expire until 2024 or something like that. The peformance rights to the musical version of PETER PAN --probably the most famous verion-- are held by Samuel French, Inc, and you should definitely contact them if you intend to put on the show that features the famous songs by Carolyn Leigh Betty Comden, and Adolph Green. If not, you are in violation of copyright law and may very well be thrown into a copyright infringment lawsuit and that might cost you a lot of money.

Besides, I understand that JM Barrie bequeethed the rights to PETER PAN to a children's hospital in England. So when you don't pay your royalties for PETER PAN, some little kid might not get his medicine that day -- or worse. Let that sit in your conscience for a while.

When it comes to PETER PAN you might also step on some Walt Disney toes. Their very popular film version is subject to its own copywright and if your show too closely resembles theirs in costumes, for instance, the long arm of Disney might be reaching out to you. Be careful about that big red costume you wrap Captain Hook into, you never know who is interested. Disney is very serious about protecting their intellectual property and certainly do not want you infringing on their own ability to make money off of it.

When it comes to performance rights I always figure it is better to be safe than sorry. Paying for royalties is part of the cost of doing business. If you can't afford to pay royalties you probably can't afford to do the show.

Playing at Making Movies

2009-02-22T12:35:00.003-05:00

TCM was showing the 1968 version of the THE PRODUCERS this morning. I caught the last 30 minutes as I was making my lunch. I had not seen it for a couple of decades so it was good to remind myself.

I tell students all the time not to spend too much time looking at the movie version of whatever play we are doing. With THE PRODUCERS, of course, there are two to choose from. The first was basically a non-musical with a few motivated songs like "Springtime for Hitler." The second was full-on musical -- a very nearly step-by-step filming of the Broadway play directed by Susan Stroman who directed and choreographed the stage version, too.

There is a danger in becoming to familiar with a movie version of any play. We might in this case spend too much time making things look like and sound like the movie. Not only is this not especially creative for actor or director, it ignores the fact that theatre and film are two very different media with significant differences in approach and presentation.

When we first announced THE PRODUCERS as our 2009 musical, I was surprised and confused by the question: "Which one are we doing?" At first I did not understand why the question was even asked; there is only one musical version of THE PRODUCERS. I eventually figured out that these students had gone to the library or the video store and asked for a copy of THE PRODUCERS and were asked the same question: which one?

The 1968 film version is the source material for the 2001 Broadway musical. Much of this film, which features Zero Mostel and Gene Wilder, appears very nearly in whole cloth in the stage play. If you are only familiar with the classic version THE PRODUCERS, you will quickly recognize the characters and the story when watching our play. It is easy to tell that the film has been adapted for the stage. Some characters, like Ulla, have had their parts expanded and other elements, like blowing up the theatre, have been excised for obvious reasons.

If you are familiar with the 2005 film version, though, you might have few questions. While the story stays the virtually same and all the characters are clearly represented in tne movie, some of the funnier punchlines are replaced with less funny ones I assume were improvised on the set. I mostly am disappointed by these alterations but my greatest disappointment with the modern movie is that they did not seem to make an effort to turn it into a movie musical the way they did with CHICAGO or DREAMGIRLS, for instance. There appears to be no effort made to rethink the play for the screen. It is not an adaptation as much as a re-creation.

Many scenes appear to have a static camera set up at the edge of thestage and had the actors replicate their stage peroformances. Maybe this is why we find the performances of Will Ferrell and Uma Thurman somewhat more interesting than those of even Nathan Lane and Mathew Broderick. Neither Ferrell nor Thurman appeared on stage and therefore must have approached their roles as something new. I find both Lane and Broderick to be gifted comedians and respect their ability to easily move from stage to screen and back again, but their performances in THE PRODUCERS movie leave me wanting. I can only assume that this is due to the directing. Susan Stroman had never directed a movie before . . . and maybe she won't again if this is to be the result. Her film is too much like a play and not enough like a movie.

I can't help but wonder how THE PRODUCERS movie might have been different if Mel Brooks had directed it himself.

Right on the Button

2009-02-16T22:42:00.004-05:00

Selling a high school musical gets harder and harder. Even inside the school.

For us, the days that everyone --staff and students-- comes to see the annual school musical are long gone. A large part of our student population has no theatre tradition so not only are they not coming to see our productions, they don't even know anything about it.

I am not sure what to say about the staff. Some are very loyal and gracious attending each production with diligence . . . and sometimes with their family. We love them. Others we never see. Probably never see them at any school activities. They teach, cash the check, and go home. I find them bewildering. I wish they would come back once in a while to see our little plays.

I firmly believe that theatre-lovers will come to see our production of THE PRODUCERS if we can just find a way to let them know we are doing it. It is a very popular show with high name recognition. Even if you don't know the musical, you might be familiar with the 1968 movie that featured Zero Mostel. We just have got to tell people --all people-- that we are presenting THE PRODUCERS and hope that for seven bucks most people will recognize it as the entertainment bargain it really is.

We are the first theatre of any kind in this area to present our own production of THE PRODUCERS and we have taken that responsibility very seriously. We are trying very hard to do the material justice and to support he play with the appropriate technical elements. I really do think the show is going to be simply fantastic. It sounds as good as any show we have done in recent years -- maybe better. And Lord knows we have built enough scenery to clog most stages including ours.

We are being a little more aggressive with our marketing/promotion. We embellished our press list to include more members of the media (now up to 70 or so), we got our newlsetter out early to nearly 1200 addresses, have posted the dates on every online calendar we can think of, and I have made personal appeals to the local print media --what little is left-- to bless us with a feature article. I think one might.

More to the point, I have printed our yard signs again. This time they are two-sided and a lovely red color to stand out agasint the dreary late winter weather. More than eighty signs are out there dotting the neighborhoods in west Akron. I saw a few of them myself earlier today. I still need to put them around the school and hope to do so tomorrow. I will still have a few left if anyone needs one for their yard.

I spent the better part of three hours tonight making buttons with our fabulous new button maker. I made around 100 of the little diamonds that I hope to start SELLING to the cast and crew and orchestra tomorrow. There are six different button designs that feature lines from the play as well as the date and place info. Some kids said they wanted one of each. I am happy to oblige. I can make more. The package comes with materials to make 250. If I have to make them all, my hands will be sore but my heart will be late.

Maybe my hands will be sore again later when I have to count the box office receipts. I hope so because someone has to pay for this lumber and all these costumes.

And who could forget the pigeon puppets? Not me. I'll never forget the pigeons. You won't, either, if you come see THE PRODUCERS at Firestone High School.

Firestone is the Cool School

2009-02-16T09:55:00.001-05:00

Click here to see the video from last week's story on Fox 8 in the Morning. I think it was a nice story that featurd the arts prominently including a quick mention of THE PRODUCERS.

I suggested to my family that the mention could have been a little more substantial and my wife disagreed. "What did you expect?" she asked. "The dates and a phone number on the screen?"

Why not? I countered.

We are working on a litle more press coverage for our show. That will surely help sell some tickets. Advanced ticekts are available for as little as $7.00. Download the mail-in form at www.FirestoneTheatre.com.

Until the New York Times Says So . . .

2009-02-15T17:04:00.004-05:00

I have sometimes heard that "you are no one until your name appears in the New York Times." My name has yet to appear although I personally know several people whose names have appeared in print there. I guess we can add another name to that list.

Firestone Theatre alum Eric Magnus recently appeared in the play Astronome: A Night at the Opera under the direction of Richard Foreman. The theatre company is the Ontological-Hysterical theatre and the avant-garde play was reviewed in Saturday's New York Times. Eric is not mentioned by name in the body of the review but he is noted as a member of the company in the details at the end of the article. It is not an especially positive review but it seems like an interesting piece of theatre if you happen to be in the city. Check out the review here.

Eric is one of the people in this picture that also appeared in the Times. I can't tell which for sure.

Good News from Americans for the Arts

2009-02-13T15:14:00.002-05:00

I received this moments ago.

"Just moments ago, the U.S. House of Representatives approved their final version of the Economic Recovery bill by a vote of 246-183. We can now confirm that the package DOES include $50 million in direct support for arts jobs through National Endowment for the Arts grants. We are also happy to report that the exclusionary Coburn Amendment language banning certain arts groups from receiving any other economic recovery funds has also been successfully removed. Tonight the Senate is scheduled to have their final vote, and President Obama plans to sign the bill on Monday - President's Day. "

Congratulations for making your voice heard. Read more here.

More on the Federal Stimulus Package

2009-02-13T11:13:00.004-05:00

This from the Obama Campaign -- from whom I receive regular e-mails -- regarding the stimulus package set for a vote in Congress:

Friend --

Congress is preparing to vote on a final Economic Recovery bill.President Obama is urging action in Washington because families across the country need help right now.

In the past week, thousands of you came together at house meetings to talk about how the economic crisis is affecting your communities. And thousands more shared your personal stories on our website. Your voices were heard. Help is on the way.

Take a few minutes and read some of the stories your fellow Americans shared.These stories are the face of the economic crisis, and they will be the focus of our recovery. Here are a few excerpts from the tens of thousands of stories people like you shared:

"As of a week ago, our family has joined the ranks of the unemployed and thus uninsured. We have two children, a 6 year old and a 10 month old. With my part time jobs and unemployment, we should be able to keep the roof over our heads, at least one car in the driveway and food in our stomachs for a few months. The state of our health insurance is what truly scares us." Nichole H., Columbus, OH

"I live in a small rural community in central Minnesota and have run my own small business for 32 years here. These last 8 years have been a slow steady decline economically. This has caused me to continually find ways to tighten my budget. Our small towns are really struggling with infrastructure and loss of businesses to attract and hold workers in their communities."
Judy T., Motley, MN

"I am a teacher in Florida where we are 50th in the country in spending per student. I feel this generation of students is being cheated out of a quality education. I'm fortunate that I have a job. But our education system is failing our children. There are so many areas of education that are suffering because of massive budget cuts. The bottom line is: as the United States of America we can do better for our children." Betty Jo A., Deltona, FL

Read more from Nichole, Judy, Betty Jo, and others who shared their economic crisis stories:http://my.barackobama.com/yourstories

Ordinary people are telling the real story of the struggles and pressures families are facing right now. They drive home the importance of this recovery plan and the need to put it into action immediately.

The President's economic recovery plan is an important first step in getting our country back on track. But recovering from this downturn will require the faith, confidence, and hard work of all Americans.

Thank you for staying involved during this critical time for our country,

David

David Plouffe
Campaign Manager
Obama for America

Lights, Camera . . . THE PRODUCERS

2009-02-11T10:55:00.003-05:00

A few days ago, Firestone High School was named as Fox 8 Morning Show's "Cool School" of the week. that means we get to take our 15 minutes in the Northeast Ohio spotlight. A camera crew and morning show regular Kenny Krumpton were here yesterday to shoot some video that will air tomorrow (Thursday, February 12, 2009) between 7:00 and 8:00 a.m.

I have never watched this program segment before so I do not know quite what to expect. I do know that they shot video in one of the art rooms as well as during a mens chorus rehearsal in the choir room so the arts should be well-represented in the segment. We all piled into the gym for a brief assembly that featured a performance by the step team and a lot of yelling and screaming on the part of our student body.

Thanks mostly to our principal they also shot the orchestra rehearsal a number from THE PRODUCERS as well as our Max and Leo in costume singing part of a song from the show. This was shot in the chior room so taht it would sound better and because the stage is too full of half-built scenery to much good to anyone.

I am glad that we were able to provide some material from THE PRODUCERS because maybe it will sell a few tickets. I know that one of the things we need to do is make people aware that we are doing this show -- it might be popular enough that theatre lovers outside the school community will come to see THE PRODUCERS if they just know about it. I think people watching Fox 8 tomorrow will know a little bit about it and hopefully some of them will come to see the show.

Sherrod Brown's Response

2009-02-10T11:47:00.003-05:00

I received this today from Senator Brown's office.

"Thank you for sharing your opposition to Senate Amendment 309 of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).I can understand your frustration with my vote on this particular aspect of the economic recovery bill.

Throughout my Congressional career, I have been a strong and committed supporter of the arts and humanities. However, for this vote, I had to make a very difficult decision.I believe that we must pass the recovery bill as soon as possible so that we can create jobs and rehabilitate our faltering economy.

The unemployment rate is at dangerous levels, and we cannot afford to go back and forth endlessly on the language of this bill. The current economic recovery legislation provides a temporary increase to the Federal Medical Assistance Percentages (FMAP), which will give more money to states for Medicaid services. This increase, as well as several other provisions delivering crucial social services to our state, were agreed to after lengthy bipartisan discussions. I fear that further partisan disagreements on spending priorities -- including funding for arts and cultural institutions -- could delay or completely derail passage of this legislation. This, in turn, would jeopardize life-saving health and social services for Ohio.

I agree with you that museums, theaters, and other cultural institutions create jobs and stimulate local economies. As the Senate continues working on ARRA, I will work to see that the prohibition on arts and cultural institutions can be removed. Please also be assured that as Congress considers further appropriations and budget legislation, I will continue my support for strong arts funding.Thank you again for sharing your thoughts with me.

Sincerely,
Sherrod Brown"

Stimulate This

2009-02-10T11:29:00.002-05:00

This from the American Arts Alliance in yesterday's e-mail box:

Urge Support for the Arts in the Economic Stimulus Bill!

We are writing today to urge you to contact your Senators and Members of Congress to ask them to support the arts in the Economic Stimulus Bill by including $50 million in the final legislation to be distributed by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and removing Senator Tom Coburn's (R-OK) amendment prohibiting any funds in the Bill from going to arts and cultural institutions.

The House version of the Bill includes $50 million to be distributed by the NEA. The Senate version does not include the $50 million and includes an amendment (S.Amdt. 309, Section 1609 of the Collins-Nelson bill) offered by Senator Coburn, prohibiting funds in the Economic Stimulus Bill from being "used for any casino or other gambling establishment, aquarium, zoo, golf course, swimming pool, stadium, community park, museum, theater, arts center, or highway beautification project, including renovation, remodeling, construction, salaries, furniture zero-gravity chairs, big screen televisions, beautification, rotating pastel lights, and dry heat saunas." The Senate approved the amendment by a vote of 73-24, and, if included in the final legislation, would prevent economic recovery funds from reaching many performing arts organizations.

Immediate action is needed as the Bill goes to Conference Committee this week. We still have an opportunity to advocate for the $50 million and for performing arts organizations to be eligible for other programs within the Economic Stimulus.

Following the Senate vote tomorrow on the Economic Stimulus Bill, key members will be selected from the Senate and the House to form the Conference Committee, including senior members of the Senate Finance Committee, the Senate Appropriations Committee, the House Appropriations Committee, and the House Ways and Means Committee. Committee members will debate the differences in the Bill sending a final version to President Obama for signature. According to Majority Leader Steny Hoyer's (D-MD) office, likely House Democratic conferees will include Appropriations Chairman David Obey, Ways and Means Chairman Charles Rangel, Education and Labor Chairman George Miller, Transportation and Infrastructure Chairman James Oberstar, and House Budget Chairman John Spratt.
Please link below to full committee lists:

Senate Finance Committee

Senate Appropriations Committee

House Appropriations Committee

House Ways and Means Committee

Please contact your Senators and Members of Congress, and urge them to protect economic recovery funds for the arts, which will ensure the protection of jobs for our field, providing the capacity to serve our communities.

By clicking "Take Action," a pre-addressed email to your Senator or Member of Congress will be ready for you to customize and send urging support for the arts in the Economic Stimulus Bill.

Send a letter to the following decision maker(s): Your Congressperson Your Senators

Below is the sample letter:

Subject: Support the Arts in the Economic Stimulus Bill

Dear [decision maker name automatically inserted here],

On behalf of my performing arts organization, I am writing to urge support for the arts in the Economic Stimulus Bill, specifically the inclusion of $50 million in funding for the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). The NEA has exemplary mechanisms for the quick and effective allocation of funds to non-profit organizations to retain jobs and stimulate continued spending in the economy.In addition, I support the removal of an amendment offered by Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK) prohibiting funding for arts and cultural institutions. If the amendment (S.Amdt.309, Section 1609 of the Collins-Nelson bill) is included in the final version of the legislation, performing arts organizations would be prevented from receiving funding support from the Economic Stimulus Bill.The arts are essential to our economy and our nation's recovery. Investment in the arts through the economic stimulus package secures vital jobs for the economy and ensures vital services that a ffect every community in America.According to recent research by Americans for the Arts, non-profit arts organizations and their audiences generate $166.2 billion in economic activity, support 5.7 million jobs, and return nearly $30 billion in government revenue every year. Investment in non-profit arts generates a 7:1 return on investment.

We Need that Money!

2009-02-09T14:08:00.003-05:00

There is a moment in THE PRODUCERS when Max Bialystock throws himself to his knees, looks up to the heavens and shouts "I want that money!" I have been saying the same thing myself from time to time lately . . . especially when I am thinking about all the bills we have to pay while working on the show.

The early draft of the latest recovery package included some language about supporting the arts with government money. Of course, the Republicans targeted that money right away as "pork." Never mind that the arts drive billions of dollars in the American economy and that every arts organization has employees and most have been laying off . . .

We need that money!

We are accustomed to our American government regularly slashing arts funding, we are a market-based economy, after all. Teh thinking goes that if the arts truly had value, people would support it with government intervention . . . however, real studies show that ticket sales equate to about 60 percent of any arts organization's total budget. Therefore, that extra 40 percent has got to come from somewhere. But it's not going to come from the government thanks to the Coburn Amendment recently passed in the Senate. They can bail everyone else out but the arts are on their onw!

It might be too late, but the only thing we can do now is write to our Congressmen and women and tell them that we think funding for the arts is important. I have already done so and I hope you will soon. Village Green writes elegantly here about her e-mails to Senators Brown and Voinovich. Also, Check out the Americans for the Arts website here for more ideas about making your voice heard. If we don't speak now it will surely be too late.

We should get that money!

A friend forwarded to me a story I am not altogther sure is true. Here it is:

"During World War II the military chiefs came to Churchill saying they desperately needed more funding for the war effort. When he asked where they thought the money could come from they replied "the arts budget." "If we did that then what would we be fighting for" he replied. These Republicans think the arts are some kind of frivolity and have no comprehension that it is central to our culture and what we are."

We're not going to get it. But we should.

Friends in High Places

2009-02-06T12:49:00.005-05:00

My wife reminded me last night that she is Facebook friends with Harvey Fierstein. She is one of more than 3000 and she is fairly certain that it really is Mr. Harvey Fierstein based on the online interactions he has had with her and others. Strange world this internet place is. Not sure how she swung this online friendship with Broadway royalty, exactly, as she is not friends with him in real life. Although we both have met him more than once.

We both met him for the first time at a party hosted by a friend here in Akron after Mr. Fierstein had spoken at a local fundraiser. He was dutifully making the rounds talking to everyone and I was getting inreasingly nervous for reasons I do not understand even now. I was not feeling that good to begin with as my stomach was a little upset but by the time Mr. Fierstein had gotten around to my wife and me I was in a full-on sweat. Not a pretty sight I am sure.

Mr. Fierstein looked to me from about ten feet away and spoke.

"Oh, sweetheart," he said to me, "What's the matter? Haven't you ever met a celebrity before?"

I stammered a response I do not recall.

He said, "You are adorable," as he grabbed my face and planted a kiss on my cheek. Flashbulbs were going off all over the room -- or maybe I just thought they were. I don't remember any more details but he moved on to talk with other guests and my wife and I made a respectful retreat.

A few years later we saw Mr. Fierstein in HAIRSPRAY in NYC. My wife and I stood side-by-side at the stage door along with our student travelers. Mr. Fierstein was working the crowd again. He was signing autographs, posing for pictures, and chatting up just about everyone.

My wife asked permission to take his picture and he easily agreed. While lining up the shot she said, "We have met before."

"Could be," he replied simply as she snapped the photo.

"It was in Akron, Ohio," she told him.

"Could be."

"You kissed my husband."

"Could be," he concluded with a noticable twinkle in his eye. It was a classic comic moment and got a few laughs from those nearby.

It probably won't be long now before she reminds him again that he once kissed her husband. Since they are online buddies and all.

She is also Facebook friends with George Lucas. I have not been kissed by him.

The Scenery Graveyard

2009-02-05T12:34:00.002-05:00

THE PRODUCERS requires a lot of scenery. I guess you could do it on a small scale . . . but that's not our style. I made a decision early on that we would try to do justice to the show to give it even more "pizazz!" The jury is still out on the pizazz but there definitely a lot of half-finished pieces littering our stage right now.

There are two versions of Max's office (one to be white and one not). Over there is Roger's very tall NY townhouse. There are two rows of oversized file cabinets. Two soon-to-be painted safes and two more standing cabinets. The front door of the Shubert Theatre is leaning agains one stage wall while the wall of Shubert Alley is getting put ona long, skinny wagon. The pieces of max's jail cell sit on the floor of the orchestra pit waiting patiently for assembly. A mostly finished pigeon coop sits nearby. Plans for the roof entrance were recently scrapped.

We haven't even started on the scenery for "Little Old Lady" Land or the "Springtime for Hitler" production number. We also have to build all the hanging marque signs and whatever Leo sees in his dream sequence in "I Want to be a Producer."

Will all this fit into the wings? We don't know for sure but I, for one, am anxius to find out.

. . . . And Away We Go!

2009-02-03T16:06:00.003-05:00

It has been called shocking, outrageous and insulting . . . and you will love every minute of it!

Firestone High School is set to present Mel Brooks’ hysterical comedy The Producers for performances at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 5, 2009, Friday, March 6, 2009, and Saturday, March 7, 2009. A single matinee is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 7, 2009.

Advanced, general admission tickets cost $7.00 and at-the-door general admission tickets cost $10.00. A limited number of premium, reserved tickets are available for $13.00 and can be purchased in advance or at the door. Advanced tickets can be ordered by mail or at the box office in the school commons from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. starting no later than Thursday, February 26, 2009.

An advanced ticket order form can be downloaded from the website at www.FirestoneTheatre.com.

The outrageous content of the Producers might make it inappropriate for students under the age of 13.

A Shot in the Dark

2008-10-21T08:15:00.004-04:00

Promoting a high school theatre production is tricky business. I have been promoting high school theatre off and on for about 20 years. It is not an easy game to play . . . and they keep changing the rules.

Many high schools put on plays for what might be considered a "captive" audience. The primary audience is already in the building and all you have to do is herd them into the auditorium for a couple of hours of light entertainment. Getting them there is the easy part; convincing students and staff to pay for the priviledge is another thing altogether. However, there are many schools that still consider the student population their bread and butter when it comes to ticket sales. And they should . . .

We consider the student body our primary audience, too. We want as many students as possible to attend the productions. We choose plays and musicals that we think will appeal to the student poulation and undertake a promotional campaign that targets students. And our students respond in large measure. But that's not good enough. We depend on a larger audience for our productions and must reach out into the community for our ticket sales.

This is the tricky part. Convincing theatre patrons to attend a high school play even at a very reasonable cost. We make great effort to overcome any stigma that mgiht come along with student work -- stressing the high quality of our work and the selection of materials. I know that there is a large audience willing to pay under $10.00 for an evening's entertainment but we always have trouble reaching that audience.

That's our challenge. Finding the people that want what we have to offer . . . and letting them know when it will be available.

The Long Goodbye

2008-10-19T19:45:00.004-04:00

The last year or so has been pretty painful for the arts and theatre-related media in Akron.

The Beacon Journal has been on a long slide toward oblivion. It's demise is always the elephant in the room. It seems to touch everything media-wise. That's what makes it all a long goodbye for arts coverage in Akron.

The local broadcast outlet --featuring an arts-friendly Eric Mansfield -- was let to wither on the vine and eventually be cancelled do to lack of viewership and advertisers. We at least have the benefit of seeing a story from him most nights on channel 3 news and to read his almost daily blog. He has even been known to post a video or two related to the current Weathervane Playhouse production. I hope he keeps it coming.

Today, I saw in print (for the second time) that Elaine Guregian is leaving the Beacon Journal and (for the first time) that she is to assume a post in the communications department with the Cleveland Orchestra. This is surely a good chair for Elaine to sit in . . . but Akron loses yet another voice that regularly supports the local arts and writes for publication about the local theatre scene. As the Beacon continues to purge its news staff, it is hard to imagine that anyone will be hired/re-assigned to take her place on the arts desk.

I suppose it is possible that Kerry Clawson will (re)ascend and make the move from the copy editor's desk to a full-time writing position . . . but it doesn't seem likely. Kerry did start a blog and writes on it about as often as I write here. (Although, I am sure that, like me, she has vowed to write more often over and over again). She has not posted on her blog since May 3, 2008.

One can only assume that arts coverage will become very scarce in local daily paper.

There is a little good news. David Ritchey is still writing reviews for the West Side Leader. We can read his reviews nearly every week and he may be left as the last writer standing when it comes to Akron theatre criticism. He is often a tough critic and seems to save his most savage reviews for the play selection committees of area theatres.

I must admit that I recently noticed the Irv Korman was writing reviews puplished in the Akron Jewish News. I am happy for Irv because I know he loves to write reviews and be active in the local theatre scene. This is a somewhat limited audience, of course, but it is another voice to be heard in the darkness.

Tony Brown now has his own blog . . . since the Plain dealer gave him a sideways "promotion" and rarely prints a review or feature under his byline. He focuses on Cleveland, of course, and like most everyone only writes about the so-called professional theatre.

It all begs the question: where does one turn for its arts related information? the internet seems as likely as the next . . . but there is no central location to locate arts information. For now, arts and local theatre information is scattered about the internet like the leaves that dot my back yard.

Village Green writes a lively blog that sometimes includes theatre insights. I am eagerly awaiting her response to the Ray Davies musical she was to see in London this weekend. find her blog here. It's a great read.

I have read reviews by Shannon Dailey on the Akron News Now website. Until recently, Shannon wrote only about shows at the Bang and the Clatter. However, she recently published a review of Steel Magnolias at Coach House. Is this a sign of more theatre coverage to come?

I am sure there are others. But where?

I might have Stepped in it a Little Bit.

2008-04-19T00:00:00.001-04:00

I think I might have stepped in a relatively small pile of "poo" the other day. I responded to a question posted online at the International Thespian Society website. I don't think the original poster liked my answer but I stand by it. I think he mostly wanted to hear otehr people tell him that he did the right thing. I didn't think he did and I told him so. I like and respect his ethics but did not appreciate his approach. Read it here. It is on the "General Discussion" board under the subject "plagerism" (sic).

The question is realted to a topic that is close to my heart. The writer has taken offense to a production that he believes (probably rightly) to have been borrowed (at best) or stolen (at worst) from some other theatre/director. He has appreached the offending director and made his point about plagarism in front of a student they both apparently shared. He wanted to know waht the "Thespian Community" thougth of this practice and what he had done about it.

There were a couple of "attaboy" responses posted by otehr, well-meaning directors and I agreed in principal.

I have tried over the last few days to put myself in his shoes. He says more than once about his "vested" interest and I still do not get it. I get that he has a student in the production and that he does not want this student to learn that "borrowing" sghows out of whole cloth is okay . . . but I don't get why it is okay to tell her and also confront her director over it in public immediately after a performance.

We're Looking for a Few Heroes

2008-04-18T08:00:00.000-04:00

I met briefly with the Thespian Offices the other day. We had a lengthy agenda but we breezed through the items pretty fast. Towards the top of the list is the upcoming elections for next year's officers. We must hold elections in May according to our constitution so a little April planning is required.

We just adopted our constitution last year so we are still getting used to it. It is hard to belive that we have had a Tehspian troupe since 1996 without a formal constitution. We mostly have been making it up as we went along. It was little dangerous (in the HS kind of way) and definitely disorganized way to run a troupe. Last year's officers recognized a need and they set out to make a real constitution and got it ratified by the troupe. I appreciate that there is a formal document to tell us how to handle things. I think some of the Thespians might need to spend a little more time with it so that they, too, can learn how it all works.

So, anywho, now it is time for a few new leaders to come out of the woodwork. Several have already expressed interest in the presidency and I hope that we can have two candidates for each of the five positions. The election will be held at the Thespian Meeting to be held after school on Thursday, May 1, 2008.

The five officer positions according to our constitution are (1) President, (2) Vice-President, (3) Clerk, (4) Secretary, and (5) Treasurer. Each is an elected position and each nominee must be a 10th or 11th grader as well as an active member of our troupe for more than one school year. The officers may decide to include class representatives to their roster for the coming year and those individuals would be selected via an open election at the first Thespian Meeting of the new school year.

The duties of each position are listed below. I have extracted this segment directly from our constitution.

Article IV. Officers
Section 1. The responsibilities of Thespian Officers are as follows:

President
The President presides at all officer and membership meetings.
The President appoints all standing and special committees.
The President supervises troupe activities.
The President collaborates with the Troupe Director to set goals and establishes and maintains schedules of meetings and activities for the officers and for the troupe.

Vice-President
The Vice-President presides in the absence of the President.
The Vice-President is responsible for the recruitment and induction of new members.
The Vice-President is responsible for chairing a committee to recruit students for the Area and State Thespian Conference and their related activities.

Secretary
The Secretary keeps official records (minutes) of all meetings.
The Secretary attends to all official Troupe correspondence.
The Secretary is responsible for informing the Troupe members of meetings and activities.
The Secretary is responsible for keeping an accurate log of attendance at all Thespian meetings and other activities.

Treasurer
The Treasurer assists the Troupe Director in managing the finances of the Troupe.
The Treasurer acts as the business manager for all Thespian Fundraisers and social activities.

Clerk
The Clerk is responsible for assisting the Troupe Director in the tallying of points and identifying students eligible for induction.
The Clerk is responsible for informing students of their eligibility.
The Clerk is responsible for assisting the Secretary in keeping a log of attendance at all Thespian meetings and activities.
The Clerk is responsible for keeping a current log of active and inactive Thespians.

Is It All Worth It?

2008-04-17T00:00:00.002-04:00

Taking a show to the State Thespian Conference is a lot of work and sometimes it is really expensive. It is enough to ask yourself if it all really with the trouble and the expense.

We have obviously answered that question in the affirmative in the past because we have done it six times in the last twelve years. Students have always enjoyed the experience and claimed to have been happy to do it. This year was no exception. All but a handful of the original cast went to conference and they all appeared to enjoy themselves. IT was fun watching the show come to life one last time . . . and I have never felt the thrill of an audience like I did that night when the audience of Thespian delegates recognized "Thriller" at the end.

But it all felt a little different to me this year. It seemed harder somehow. Maybe I am just older or something . . . but restaging MACBETH for conference was harder than the others. But was it too hard? Was it too hard to consider doing it again? I'm not sure.

We had originally designed our scenery with the expectation that it could travel . . . assuming that we would be invited to bring it to conference. For a brief, shining moment we even considered having it screened for the International Thespian Conference. I thought our set for MACBETH was effective and even a little simple . . . especially as compared ot the monolithic sets we sometimes erect for our shows.

In the end, our set was comprised of just five flats, four columns and a roof section. There was a second, stand-alone piece that required no scenery (and a large truck). It went back together pretty easily despite the fact that we were not in an actual theatre. It came down even more quickly -- far ahead of schedule.

Rehearsals were pretty easy. We scheduled a total of four in preparation for conference. The first was dedicated to all the "remembering" and "re-staging" required of our much smaller performacne space at conference. The second rehearsal was given over to fight choreography and dance choreography. The third was a combination of it all. And the final rehearsal was afull run-through but there were no props, scenery, costumes, or set because it was already loaded into the truck.

We used to not take the scenery for our plays at conference. But then we noticed that everyone seemed to. We also noted a clause in the contract that said we are supposed to bring our play "exactly as it was screened." I took that to mean that we must bring the scenery (or most of it) and to cut out all this fancy restaging we had been doing. That made it harder, for sure. And more expensive.

There was not too much stress this year over memorization as everyone seeemed to remember thier parts. Even the actors assigned new roles learnign their lines and blocking quickly and easily. the fights and choreography came back easily as well. Everyone seemed to be in rehearsal and on task most of the time. It was kind of like riding a bike. A really big, clumsy bike made of wood and cardboard tubes.

We took more kids to conference thsi year at least in part becasue we were presenting MACBETH. We had more than 50 which is at elast 15 more than we have ever taken before. That makes conference more expensive, too. It especially increases the stress factor as it is hard to collect all that money and paperwork as well as keeping track of everyone at confernece nad making sure that each one is ucked away in their beds with vision of sugarplums . . . you know the rest.

The kids had fun. They saw a lot of theatre and even took some workshops. A few more even competed in the Individual Event Competition. A lot of new friends were made. I networked with many colleagues and even caught up with some old friends. Our students enjoyed the dance . . . or maybe the coffee shop . . . and most said that they want to come back next year.

I do, too. I wonder, though, about the next time we will take a big show like MACBETH. I am sure the day will come when we will do it again. I just don't want to think about it right now.

Maybe I will tomorrow.

What a Dump!

2008-04-16T00:00:00.006-04:00

The stage is nearly a complete wreck right now. That is a highly unusual circumstance for the first days after a long break. But there it is. There are pieces of scenery and tools everywhere. There is a large pile of wrapped cable as well as several travel cases here and there. Both of our fiberglass ladders are laying on their side at the rear of the auditorium. There, too, are some flats, lighting instruments, trees, and various props. What a dump indeed.

This is equipment is here and in such a disorganized fashion because we took it all to the State Conference and back again. Three Thespians and a couple of parents helped unload a 26 foot truck last Monday monring -- on our second day of Spring Break. We didn't waste a lot of time unloading and just worked to get msot of it into the auditorium and out of the way of custodians who were busily mopping and waxing the floors everywhere else. Now the Tech Class comprised mostly of ninth graders are putting it away. Or at least dismantling the pieces we will not be using again -- which is most of it.

We needed this for our production of MACBETH which was included in conference as a featured, full-length production. "Needed" might be too strong of a word. I was very concerned about leaving something behind that we really wanted to have or use as we re-assmbled our set on the stage of Ashland University's chapel in preparation of our final performance of The Scottish Play. So we loaded just about everything we thought we MIGHT want into a truck that was initially too small . . . or at leat too short. We had to take our first truck back for a larger version and made for much griping as we unloaded one truck to load all the same stuff back into a second one a short time later. We took all of our light cable as well as the electric cords and a large portion of our hand and power tools. Just in case. We didn't need everything we took but I am glad to have had the option to use it.

The show was very good. The cast and crew did a great job and seemed to have so much fun preparing and performing. I had told them in one of our brief rehearsals that I really enjoyed the challenge of taking a play into an unkown space and "making it work." I think maybe they do too, now that they have had this experience.

I am proud of their efforts to put on a good show for their fellow Thespians. I am proud of the hard work and professionalism. I could not have hoped for more than they gave. We have taken many plays to conference over the years, but none have turned out better than this one. And now we must put it away one more time. For the final time. Our MACBETH will finally be put to rest after many long months of sometimes arduous labor.

Spring has Sprung.

2008-04-15T14:58:00.004-04:00

Time has really flown by since we last met. Here's to renewed optimism. There have been a lot of exciting things happen around here since January.

We presented a successful production of SIDE SHOW as our musical in March. It is good and good fun. People seemd to like it and I am glad that we did it. We recognize that it is a little of the beaten path but that might be one of the things we liked best about SIDE SHOW.

We auditioned a few kids to be part of next year's theatre class. We saw many very talented theatre students and I hope that they will all join us for the fun next year!

We took 50-some students as well as our production of MACBETH to the State Thespian Conference. Several of our students competed and a few even whom (or placed) in their Indivdual Event Category. One student appeared in the cast of the All-Ohio Thespian Production at conference. It was good and she was good in it. I hope that we can have even more kids in the show next year.

We are already making plans for next year which includes the planning and scheduling of next year's productions. I am reading several plays right now trying to make final decisions about what will be on our stage in the coming school year. I am always open to suggestions but reserve the final decision for myself.

I see ideas for blog entries all the time and I resolve to write with more frequency . . . and I hope against hope that a few students will want to write an entry or two as well. I have a few topics stockpiled and I think they will come to a computer screen near you real soon.

Break legs.

Firestone on Broadway

2008-01-17T08:32:00.000-05:00

Plans for the upcoming Thespian Trip to NYC are ongoing.

Our Thespian trip to the Big Apple is a little bit different than others we have heard of. We take a small group --preferably 12 kids or less -- so that we can be more flexible once we get to the city. We fly instead of taking a bus. We stay in a midtown hotel instead of Jersey. We walk everywhere -- unless there is a subway nearby. No bus tours of the city for us.

The small size of our group allows us to move more freely through the city. It also avails us to the kind of backstage tours that would not otherwise be available to us. Instead of relying on a travel agent to make arrangements witht eh commercial tour sites in the city, we exploit our personal and professional connections to open doors that would not give us access. We have previously received backstage tours of WICKED THE 25th ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE and THE PRODUCERS, among others, thanks to our connections to theatre artists working in NYC.

We have several friends currently in a Broadway production so it is hard to choose what to see when we got there in April.

Where has the Time Gone?

2008-01-16T15:10:00.000-05:00

Okay. We're back. Let's blog.

Saturday is the NE Ohio Thespian Conference at Strongsville High School. About twenty of our stuents are attending this year's confrence -- we had over 40 last year. Students are to be here at the school prepared to leave at 7:30 a.m. so taht we can arrive at the conference site by 8:30 a.m. We should return here at about 5:00 p.m. and be ready to go home.

We were originally supposed to host this year's conference but a scheduling conflict got int he way. Thankfully Strongsville was willing to step in so there was no worry about a site. Strongsville is a good site for conference with several good performance spaces and ample parking. The kids always enjoy going to conference there . . . which is good as we often go there for the NE Ohio Area Conference. I think that this is mostly because it is the home school of State Thespian Director Gloria MacIntyre. Perhaps we can get in line to host again next year.

The conference is always well planned and the kids have fun. there is always a variety of plays to see and good workshops to take. Our Thespians enjoy meeting students from other schools and seeing the kind of plays they bring. Lunch is provided and there is also a small snack stand where everyone can buy pop and chips and donuts and bagels and fruit and things like tht. I can't guarantee the menu, of course.

Junior students should plan to attend the Auditioning/Portfolio Workshop while at Conference. If they take this one they can participate in the College Auditions at State Conference in April. Last year, we were the only school from the NE Area to have students qualify for the College Auditions.

It should be a good day and I expect everyone to have fun.

What is that Zombie doing in Shakespeare

2007-10-04T15:19:00.000-04:00

A colleague asked me if our production of Macbeth was really Shakespeare’s Macbeth. I understood the question because we had been using our zombie concept to help sell tickets to students. I assured him that it was really Macbeth and that he would surely recognize the play. He clarified his question a little, noting that Shakespeare did not include zombies in the play.

It is a logical question. While there is a great deal of darkness and murder in the play, the word zombie never appears in the script.

Shakespeare was no stranger to the occult, of course. Many of his plays include witches or seers or other such mystical characters. Many Londoners of Shakespeare’s time would have been true believers in this sort of thing. In Macbeth, Shakespeare includes three witches who, as written, seem to lay down the archetype for our current Halloween witches with their enchantments and boiling cauldron. These witches are an important part of the plot and lay down a great deal of the exposition.

Orson Welles once directed a famous production of the play that came to be called the “Voodoo” Macbeth. Welles chose to set the play in Haiti and turn the witches into voodoo priests and priestesses. Some think the actors were actual practitioners of voodoo and often cast real spells and curses on members of the company and audience as part of the play.

It is a short leap for us, then, to include the concept of zombies in our production. Many of the scenes are very dark, several characters are killed during the course of the action, one in particular seems to come back to life after having been killed onstage, and of course there are those crazy witches. It just seemed to us that even Shakespeare might include zombies if he was writing the play today.

Once we set the concept, many of the other pieces fell together rather nicely. Choices regarding lighting, sound, music, movement, scenery, and costumes became exciting and obvious. The concept is not a reworking of the play itself but rather a vehicle for telling the same story Shakespeare told 400 years ago.

Don’t expect a lot of changed lines or reinterpretation just because there are a couple of zombies hanging around. The play is still Shakespeare’s script; we made some cuts for length but made no changes for meaning. You should easily see the play for what it is: a straight-forward cautionary tale about lust for power.

Times Flies When You Are Having Fun

2007-10-03T22:39:00.000-04:00

Boy . . . when you are working on four shows all at the same time, some things really slip away from you. That's how it has been for me.

My primary concern is the impending opening of MACBETH at Firestone. This play has a lot of moving parts and getting them all to work together and all at the same time has been a little like herding cats. The good news is that we have strung together a few excellent rehearsals and I can now say with some confidence that the show is going to be terrific. We still have a couple of fairly tall hurdles to jump and it won't be easy . . . but it will be done and presented to the public. You should come. I'll be the guy breathing a sigh of relief in the back row.

I am also involved in planning our next production, CROWNS, as well as a couple of outside projects. This has really kept me hopping and not on this blog. I was hoping that a few more kids would blog here but so far, no. Several say that they have written things for the blog but I never seem to receive them via e-mail.

I guess they are busy, too.

I am really excited about CROWNS because I love the show. I first saw it at the Cleveland Playhouse and knew immediately that one day we would present it for our audience. I started making plans not too long afterward and now here it is! It hink it is really going to be a lot of fun. We have a great director and an excited cast of mostly newcomers.

Season Subscriptions for our season have been selling really well. We have already surpassed previous years' totals and it looks like we will make the sales goal tomorrow. Once we do, all theatre students earn a pizza party for their hard work (even though no class reached their particular class goal).

It should not surprise me that the Subscriptions are selling well . . . we have the best season in town. I say that not just because I picked the shows --which I did-- but because we offer the most variety of style and literature as well as high prodcution values and an excellent entertainment value. I would put our season against anyone else's for sheer entertainment and enjoyment of live theatre.

More later on MACBETH. There's lots to say. Maybe even a few pictures for your enjoyment.

Method Acting

2007-09-20T08:15:00.000-04:00

submitted submitted by Zoe

That's the joke I've been telling everyone when they see the gel cast on my ankle. I'm a method actor. I needed a real gimp.Well, the foot's got a torn ligament. Don't know what I'm talking about? I'll update you.

I fell during swim practice and apparently tore...a ligament. My physician said I needed to stay on crutches for three to six weeks, which obviously conflicts with the opening of Macbeth. This actually isn't a horrible thing, because I can easily use those crutches as part of my character. What a godsend that it's Zombie Macbeth instead of something else, isn't it? What if it were--'perfect posture, no slumping, gimp-less' Macbeth? Wouldn't that be horrible? However, I can't quite believe that I need these stupid crutches for 3-6 weeks, so we're going to make an appointment with an orthopedic surgeon who will check things out further.

Had another sit-down with mom the other day about Lady Macbeth, and she asked me if I were directing the play, who that I knew would I cast as Lady Macbeth? That person was who I must emmulate in order for my character to pop. It's the pop factor that I've had trouble with lately. Turns out, although my stomach literally CHURNS when I think about it, this would be my to-be step-grandmother. My grandpa's fiancee. Oh, she makes my skin crawl! But he's not her first husband, she's VERY intelligent, manipulative, and an amazing actress. When she's around him, she's simpering, helpless, and docile, but all the while getting him to do exactly what she intended...it's almost scary. She seems like a weak little Southern belle, but she's far from it. I don't like her AT ALL which is what I told my mom. But that's my problem. I've found Lady Macbeth, whether I like it or not, and I've got to use her. Subtract about 40 years. Shuuuuuuddder...

At least Thriller's going well. The gimp doesn't hurt too much, actually, seeing as we're supposed to be limping anyway.

Signing out.

more on all-ohio show

2007-09-15T11:36:00.000-04:00

We have been informed that the Audition materials for All-Ohio Production of Dead Man Walking have been posted on the Ohio Thespian Website. You can find that here.

I believe that the due date is November 1, 2007 and that it needs to be submitted by me. So let's make the due date for those forms to come back to me October 30, 2007. I think these forms are pretty self-explanatory but feel free to ask me if you have questions. I will also have some copies of it for those of you unable to download the forms for yourself.

Your Thespian officers have set a goal to have a few Firestone Thespians in this production. So even if you can't take it on, you should encourage your friends.

All-Ohio Thespian Production

2007-09-06T12:15:00.000-04:00

I received a mailing from our Chapter Director today outlining Ohio Thespian activities for the year. Of special interest to some of us is the identity of the All-Ohio Thespian Production.

It is to be the stage version of DEAD MAN WALKING. You might know the movie directed by Tim Robbins . . . well, he adapted the screenplay into a dramatic work for schools to produce on their own stages. Here is an URL to find out more about this show:

http://dmwplay.org/

The All-Ohio Show is to be directed by Fabio Polanco who is on the theatre faculty at Ashland University. I do not yet know when or where auditions are to be held for the All-Ohio Show but I will tell you as soon as I know. Your Thespian Officers have set a goal to have Firestone Theatre represented in the All-Ohio Show this year so hopefully a few of you are already interested.

We can send a total of 6 actors to auditions and an additional 6 designers/technicians to the interview. I would be the happiest little theatre director in the whole wide world if we had 12 students seriously interested in the All-Ohio Activity.

We have had numerous students involved in the past and they have loved it. You meet fun and interesting people, work with some very talented directors and designers, and work on exciting and challenging material. I know that being involved in the All-Ohio Show makes State Conference about 1000 times more fun than it already is.

Think about it. Then stop thinking and just do it already!